Education with an e-learning specializationMy experience with NC thus far has been extremely positive. I study anywhere from 40 to 80 hours per week, working on my doctoral degree. If you are not willing to work for your degree, you will not like the high academic standards at NC. But if you are sincere about your education, I dare say you will love it like I do. I researched online schools for six years before deciding on NC. Did you know the school is highly rated and becoming known as the "Harvard online school?"
And, mentors have always answered my questions within 24 hours.
I highly recommend this school. True, a lot drop out, but if you are willing to put in the necessary work, you will be happy. Also, the price for this school is average in comparison to other doctoral degree programs. Good luck and study hard for the degree!

Money Milking MachineThe core curiculum will tak a couple of years, cost $20,000 or so. You will get good grades, and then take a "comprehensive" exam, which will cover nothing which you have covered in the previous couple of years. The chances are high that you will fail, and then (for another $2,500), you will take it again, and you will pass. Then you will be assigned a "Dissertation Committee Chairperson", who will most likely be an expert in a discipline other than yours.
You will then be required to write a concept paper, and the only issues reviewed will be citation format, whether it is in the NCU library data base (God forbid that it's not...no matter how important it is..."peer reviewed"), the age of your references, your justification for using them (annotated bibliography... why, strength, weaknesses, etc.), and whether you quoted the authors too closely (not whether you've cited them). The chances are high that you will never finish your concept paper. Each "Disertation Research" course requires 10 sbmissions, whereby your "Dissertation Committee Chairperson" will review part of your work, and request that you revise it. You will probably receive no suggestions or explanations. The submissions are to be made by Sunday evening, and you will usually receive the correction on Friday. Your weekends will be no longer yours. It's impossible to work on your paper during the week, because of the slow turnaround by the "Dissertation Committee Chairperson". By the way...Yyou will never speak to, or even know the names of the other committee members, or the Dean of your school.
The school will change your "Dissertation Committee Chairperson" without your consent, which will, of course, require you to revise your "Introduction", "Problem" and "Purpose" statements, as well as your "Theoretical Framework" review. Remember...your Chairperson will also likely be from a discipline other than yours, so you will basically have to convince a layperson of the legitimacy of your concept...in the strict arbitrary format which the school proscribes...difficult, if not impossible. My personal discipline was international business I'm a CPA in Germany), and my Chairpersons were from the school of education somewhere on the east coast. Each 10 week course will cost $2,540 for the first year, and then $950 every 10 weeks thereafter. The part-time professors (often in other parts or time-zones in the US) really only want to keep you in the program as long as possible, so that the school can keep collecting tuition. Finally, if and when you ever have your concep paper approved, you can start on your dissertation an dissertation research, and can expect to spend another couple of years and another $10,000 researching and writing your paper.
In the end, you will probably spend $50,000 to $60,000 getting a Doctorate from a school with a poor reputation, regional accreditation (only) and with professors who do not come from your field...ergo, they will not be able to help you through their relationships in your profession or academia.
One more thing. It's almost impossible to contact your "Dissertation Committee Chairpersons" by telephone or Skype, so you will probabl have no personal relationship with them, just as the administration is difficult to contact (Dean, Academic Advisor, etc.).

Not a good choice!I enrolled in Northcentral University in 2010 with hopes to have a good academic experience but most of all to earn my DBA in Business Management. Instructors are referred to as "Mentors" but they really don't help much. If you have a question, you send an e-mail and keep your fingers crossed that you receive a response before your assignment is due. You are paying only to be able to submit your work online. All prior universities I attended you were given an school e-mail, not at NCU, your personal e-mail is used for communication. Out of the four years I have attended, I've always experience issues with communicating with instructors in a timely manner. They pretty much set you up for failure. I did well in all my classes, accumulated tons of loans, only to get to the last three classes and did not do good with my COMP exam according to the instructor, after failing the class I appealed the grade but my academic advisor was no help, actually she encouraged me not to appeal, her advice was "there's a slim chance that you will be granted another try". I asked to speak with the dean no one would allow me to speak with the dean, it was like everyone I called was instructed to tell me the same thing. My advisor as well as the re-entry coordinator both stated they could offer me a Masters Degree versus allowing me to remain in the doctoral program. I already have two Masters what did I need with another one. This school is a huge RIP Off, I wouldn't advise anyone to go here unless you have $$$$ to give away. I feel that I just wasted four years of my life and paying for it dearly. Something needs to be done to stop schools like NCU from taking students money and giving them nothing in return.

NCU Actually Worked With Me I was treated with respect the entire time I was enrolled from 2/03 to 10/08. I completed
the PhD program and will tell you this took tremendous work on my part. If you get past yourself and get out of the way you can most likely make it. No one will hold your hand and the faculty will expect you to perform as an adult. This is not suppose to be easy as a obtaining a PhD should not be a an small task. NCU does care and will work with you if you apply yourself and are not acting like an adolescent. Apply, work hard and it will happen for you. If you do not like putting in the time and effort that on-line requires then don't apply. Applying and then complaining makes no sense. Being lazy will catch up with you in this program. I'm glad the underachievers are weeded out. I think NCU offers a lot for those hungry enough to go to work. The complainers want an easy ride but will not find it at this university. I recommend those wanting to attend NCU have a sincere commitment to personal perseverance, aptitude and attitude. Couple all this with adult behavior then you can make it at NCU. I am glad I graduated from NCU. When I am testifying in the court room, which I do frequently as an expert, no one questions my credentials and often stipulate to my PhD from NCU.

Excellent experience from a decade agoI enrolled a decade ago and received my degree six years ago, so I can only speak from my experience of NCU as it was. Seems like the new owner is profit oriented versus the original founders and management actually cared about education. Regardless, I now teach online college courses in another institution, and I can definitely say that NCU overall is a good online school. It is up to the students to find instructors that are responsive and good with encouraging student interaction. This is true for both online as well as face-to-face class. I cannot speak about the tuition issue as I never ran into that. However, I think if you find a good dissertation chair that cares about your topic, and put together a committee that supports your research, you can get a lot out of your educational experience. Online means you must be self-motivated and persistent in chasing down your instructors. Like with all colleges, there will be professors that you tell yourself "never again" as well as those you say "I need to take more classes from this professor". I also found the tech support and library were so wonderful in helping me to solve all my problems so quickly. I have nothing but respect for my dissertation committee. I hope the current owners is able to sell this great institution to someone who can build and expand this great learning place that it was.

Hidden Pitfalls, Unfair PoliciesYou'll undoubtedly see many reviews on sites like this that laud or lament NCU's online degree programs. The truth about NCU's program is that it's nothing special and mired in lagging technology and a frustrating lack of quality control.
But any prospective NCU student should understand the following before enrolling at NCU:
1) Course drop policy:
Dropping a course means you can exit the course without being on the hook for any tuition. Understanding the course drop deadline and how a student requests a drop are critical factors in assessing how flexible the program actually is. NCU has a seven day drop policy. Not totally unreasonable for eight week courses. But the devil is in the details. Consider that NCU starts all courses on Monday. That means the drop deadline is always the first Sunday night. The net effect of this policy is that NCU students have no access to any academic advisors from Friday evening at about 6pm MT until after the course drop deadline. Students can request a drop by email right up to the Sunday midnight deadline. But if you need advice, there’s nobody on the other end to help. Not exactly flexible or convenient. There are countless other online schools of equal or better value and reputation that offer a more student-friendly course drop policy and procedure.
2) Course refund policy:
Once you’re past the course drop period—-the period when you can exit the course without any financial obligation—-exiting a course is most often a course withdrawal. Withdrawing from a course means you’re going to spend some cash. Many schools will offer a pro-rata refund based upon the number of weeks you attended a course before withdrawing. For example, withdrawing from a course in the second week might mean you’re obligated to pay 20% of the course tuition. If you withdraw in week 3, you’re on the hook for 30% and so on. Unfortunately, that’s not how they do it at NCU. I have seen countless students get ensnared in this devili$h trap. At NCU, students are obligated to pay the full course tuition even if they withdraw in week two.
This could well seem to not be a big deal. Many students think they'll never need to be concerned about withdrawing from a course. Trust me, it happens to most students. And not always for academic reasons. Life happens. Spouse, kids, in-laws, car accidents, illness, death…you name it. At NCU, that’s really just too bad. If any such event occurs after the 7th day of your course and you need to withdraw from your course, NCU requires full tuition be paid. This is extremely inequitable, even predatory.
My advice is to find a school with an equitable refund policy that doesn’t penalize life events. After all, you're probably going to school online precisely because you need flexibility. You don't have to choose a school that locks you in for full tuition on the 8th day. Many schools of greater value and prominence will credit you tuition on the "unused" portion of the course. This can add up to big money!!! If you attend a school like NCU with no pro-rata refund policy, you may as well add a 15%-20% contingency to your budget above the stated tuition. Chances are good you'll pay considerably more than you think.
3) Graduation Rate:
Not only does NCU refuse to disclose its graduation rate, but they go out of their way to present alternative statistics about "completion rates" which exclude students who by definition don't complete their programs. It's extremely misrepresentative and a bit diabolical, to be frank. If you want to assure yourself that your degree is a worthwhile investment, consider having to tell a future employer or colleague that your degree was granted by a school that refuses to disclose fundamental statistics about its ability to enroll and graduate qualified students. If you get a degree online, you'll inevitably face those who (often rightly so) do not regard online degrees as comparable to traditional schools. So why make it worse by attending a lesser of the online schools?
4) NCU failed it 2011-2012 financial solvency test
For the second time, NCU failed its solvency test, scoring in the bottom 1% of the over 3,300 schools tested. In addition, NCU's CFO just recently jumped ship. This really is reason enough to consider other schools instead. There could be no worse a fate for a masters or doctoral student than to learn half way through their degree program that the school has lost it's ability to accept financial aid or just plain goes out of business. Transferring credits at this level is extremely murky and limited....meaning you'd nearly be starting over. You can see the financial solvency composites scores reported by the federal government here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/about/data-center/school/composite-scores
The best advice for any prospective online student is to do your research. Seriously, do your own due diligence and consider it the first research project of your program. These ratings forums are littered with smart people who didn't know what they were getting into until it was too late. Especially online, it can happen fast. If you do a good job researching your options, you'll have a much better chance to succeed. Best of luck!

WorthlessBefore reading my review, realize that I was doing well in their program. I took three classes with NCU and had a 3.8 GPA in their PhD of BA program. I decided to leave the school for the reasons below.
To put it bluntly, NCU is a scam. The classes are nothing more than busy work and hardly on a graduate level. The assignments you're required to turn in each week can be nearly devoid of useful content, just as long as they're in proper APA format and you cite the required number of references. I don't think the instructors actually read anything I turned in, because the feedback I received was 99% about the paper's format and 1 % on the content. But if the paper I turned in was in good format, cited the minimum number of references and met the minimum length I was given a good grade, regardless of the mindless drivel contained within. To pass the classes I quickly learned to take a simple answer to a simple question and drag it out four 5 - 7 pages while quoting a few loosely related articles from academic journals. If this is what passes for higher education these days, then I think I'll stop at my master's degree.
My "academic advisor" was a salesman, and a bad one at that. When I tried to address my concerns about the content and the focus of the courses he tried to convince me to stick it out for another year or two until I got to the point where the "real learning" would begin. Additionally, he was completely unaware of what course I was in, or even what level the course was on. When I called him out on it, he tried, again, to convince me to stick around longer and keep paying. It was not only a useless conversation, but one of the worst examples of bad salesmanship I've ever experienced, to include used car dealers.
Additionally, the required textbooks for each class can only be bought from NCU's bookstore. Not even Amazon carried them. On top of that, they charged $200 for a used textbook for one class. I can only imagine how much profit they're raking in from book sales alone. On top of that their tuition rates are the highest of anything out there, nearly $3000 a class. You would think for that kind of money they'd run a quality institution of higher learning.
NCU's education model is to make the students' turn in papers weekly, but the constant work is just a method of keeping the students' heads down and keeping them too busy to realize that they're not really learning anything. To put it bluntly, don't waste your time. A degree from NCU is completely worthless. I'm not sure who they bribed to get accredited, but it must have been a hefty amount of cash. If your goal is to waste thousands and thousands of dollars learning nothing more than how to write in APA format, then this is the school for you. If you want an actual education, I highly recommend going somewhere else.

NCU's PhD program - Scam!!All NCU (ncu.edu) negative reviews are correct. I hope and pray students united sue NCU for all the wrong doings.
As an NCU PhD student (yes, almost 4.0 GPA so far!) who is progressing towards the comprehensive/dissertation stage, I can attest that NCU is all bogus. I know in the beginning, you might be getting good grades in the courses but when you are stuck in the middle of the program, or working towards the end of your program (if you are the lucky one!), then NCU will sure bite you hard.
Overall NCU ranks low in everything. NCU has a clever way of stealing students money and no regards to academic excellence.
My frank advice to everyone: stay away from NCU and if you can find a good school on-campus, then go for it. Of-course, one or two students who are reaching towards their PhD goals or have graduated with a PhD degree will defend NCU because of their degree's reputation, but the majority of NCU students or ex-students will not have a favorable opinion about NCU.

RUNAcademic Advisor was the greatest; however he was limited to how helpful he could be. The University's policies were for the purpose of serving the school. Student were treated like puppets and mentors were not held accountable!!!!

EdD in Organizational Leadersgip at NCUNCU provides an amazing lerining environment and opportunity for the motivated learner. Attending classes through NCU allows me to work full time while pursuing my doctorate and the reading and material is very relevant. I have been very pleased and in attendance since March of 2013. Online learning is not for everybody but if you are motivated and online learning does work for you...you will not be disappointed. The financial aid and advising have been helpful and my questions have always been answered in a timely manner.

NCU doesn't teach and postpones you as long as possibleNCU is about charging their students monthly for as long as possible. Enrolled in a PhD program (after completing 2 masters) with a 4.0 GPA and they strung me along for as long as they possible could. Instructors know little about the courses they are teaching and the administration is high and mighty not willing to speak to you if you request. If there was a class action against this school I would be all over it.

Very PleasedI applied and was accepted to two traditional brick and mortar universities right out of undergrad and I chose to attend NCU instead because I could do the work around my full time job and the cost was much lower than either of the other schools I considered. I am a very independent learner and have no problem completing the assignments on time and find the assignments clear and the course materials very helpful for every assignment. I have 3 classes left before I finish my master's degree in health psychology. I have been very please with my academic advisers as well. I have had three of them in the last year that I have been taking classes but each of them were very helpful and responsive. A lot of the bad reviews I have read seem to focus on the cost, unfair grades, or bad mentors. The cost is very reasonable compared to most universities, both online and traditional. It is not only normal for tuition to increase each year, but expected. This happens everywhere. I have only had one bad mentor experience, but I just kept in contact with my adviser and gave the mentor exactly what she requested in the feedback and comments. I would say that NCU requires more work than a traditional university each week because you are required to produce something every week to show your understanding of the material instead of simply showing up and having a discussion or completing three assignments over the course of a semester. I will say that the mentor is not a professor. They are there for questions regarding the assignment and to assess your knowledge of a given topic. They are not there to present the material to you each week. I would not recommend NCU to anyone who has trouble learning on their own or who is not familiar with word processing and presentations. For me, this was exactly what I was looking for.

REVIEW FOR NCU - MBA PROGRAM After I finished my bachelor degree at California State Northridge, I continued working full-time at an international company. Four years later, I started looking for an online school since my work always make me travel and it is time consuming. I found NCU located in Arizona. I can say that some professors are very good, while others are newbies. It is ACBSP accredited and not ACBSB like most brick and mortars.
Initially, instructors focused on citing APA and grammar. Then, they will give you resources, articles, and books to read and study. Here is the thing, you have to do all the work on your own. You have to motivate yourself for every single assignment, and reward yourself for every good work. I have friends who said they can't study on their own, and they prefer going to brick and mortar university to meet people. To me, meeting people and networking is not as important as retaining information and focus. If you are up to the challenge, and are discipline to work on your own, NCU can be good for you. If you want a teacher and drive to a classroom, obviously you can decide to go to a regular university.
What I like about this school is the flexible schedule and great materials to learn from. I also like the good grades I have received for all of the assignments. It is EGO BOOSTING. I like the silence and the ability to choose my own schedule. I like the way I can bug the professors when I don't understand their topics and don't have to worry about seeing their faces in person. LOL. Remember that you will save in gas and not worry about driving. I am almost halfway through my program, and I will finish this in less than a year. My best advice for most assignments is read it thrice. Then start reading the textbook thinking on the assignment. Write an outline. Outlines are great because you can then fill in the blanks with sources, and paraphrases, or quotes from the book. You can also ask a professional in your family for help. All the best to you!

NCU IS worth the time & money for many... but NOT for all.At the risk of sounding redundant of other learners, I offer my review of NCU. I am currently in my 8th class with NCU. My experience has been a positive one. I have engaged with my mentors at some level for every course: sometimes with a phone call, sometimes e-mail, and sometimes just through comments back and forth as I am completing assignments. I've done very well navigating through course requirements and maintain a 4.0 at this point. However, if I were not a teacher, or at minimum a linguistic and intrapersonal learner (multiple intelligence terms), I could see where is program would be painful. I am definitely challenged by the course content and put forth a great deal of effort in every assignment. Perhaps one could breeze right through the courses with much less effort, but this is MY education, and I intend to come out of this program proficient in my content area. I need for my education to align with my career path. That being the case, I accept that it is my responsibility, as an online learner, to take ownership of my learning, to make the most of every course, and to engage in articles, dissertations, etc. that are relevant to my field. Yes, I find some of the required reading to be outdated. Because of this, I generally find a book or two that is on the recommended list or that has been referenced in articles pertaining to the class to grab and use as I write my papers. You get out what you put into this university.
If you are looking for a degree program that will be highly structured with an online forum where a professor will engage with you to help you make meaning of the material, this is probably not the university for you. I needed a program that would not require me to show up several days/ week, that allowed me to work at a steady pace, and honestly, preferred a program where I was NOT told what to think, but free to make my own assumptions. I find NCU fits this bill nicely.
I am terrified, yet looking forward to my upcoming dissertation process. I expect it to be demanding and invigorating. It will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I've ever encountered academically, AS IT SHOULD BE! If the program were easy and the dissertation process a cake walk, a majority of people would hold a doctoral degree, which would diminish it's value as a whole.
Regarding dealing with my academic advisor, she has been awesome! In dealing with financials, again- it's been fairly painless, even though a tad redundant. My mentors-- I've had awesome mentors and one or two that were just alright. As for the isolation, this is an independent study. It's all on you. If you can't learn like that, do not do ANY online course. If you are self-disciplined, highly motivated, and can self-teach, this university is as good, and I'm sure sometimes better, than others like it. Good luck in your pursuits!

MBA program at NCUI am half way through my MBA at NCU. I selected this school because I wanted my degree to have business accreditation and NCU has Global Business Accreditation from ACBSP. It is a solid program and has a very competitive curriculum. It requires one to invest a lot of time to do research on the topics everyweek and write business papers as assignments.The teachers and advisors are very helpful and supportive. I am working full time at a highly reputed organization and my employer is reimbursing for my degree from NCU. I would definitely recommend NCU for aspiraing MBA students.

NCU is a scamWhen I complained about the unfair grading practice I was told to just live with it. The second time I complained I threatened to withdraw from school if the matter was not investigated. The investigation took an entire semester and I was told I had to register for another semester if I wanted to get the results, which I did. The results came in saying "we've never heard of such a problem, live with it". I went online and found others with same complains. I refused to register for another semester. My school was being paid by the loan. After I withdrew, I got a call and an email saying I owe NCU over one and a half thousand dollars and that I better set up a repayment schedule or else. I asked for an invoice but was told that I will not be getting one and that NCU telling me I owe them money should be sufficient. I was threatened by their financial counselor with all sorts of dire consequences for refusing to set up a repayment schedule. It has been over three months and I still have not seen a bill.

OK Until You Reach Dissertation Stage or Have a ProblemThis school is fine if you ca teach yourself. Everything is writing,writing, writing. Little real human contact. Mentors are paper corrector and advisors are mail carriers. You breeze through coursework and then all heck breaks when you get the dissertation stage because you are really not prepared. The school claims flexibility but the real flex is when you decide to complet your assignments.
If you can stomach the school's constant changes, increases in tuition then get the degree...it is accredited. Don't expect much from the administration or anyone on the inside. Don't worry you will never really get a chance to know them anyway. When you have problem they treat you worse than elementary school children and many of the students in the doctoral program are afraid to say anything for fear of repercusions. It is so sad. Everything is done by writing which means things take a lot longer than it should. In the dissertation stage, they can keep your papers as long as three weeks. It used to be two.
I would never recommend this school to my enemy, let alone a friend.

A good PhD programI completed the PhD in Business. I found the program to be rigorous and challenging. Especially in the Dissertation phase. There was a lot of work in getting the concept paper approved. Overall it was highly rewarding and I would recommend the program to others. It is difficult and time consuming but worth it.

Instructor by mentor to use GOOGLE for answerI started by MS in 2013 and I am embarrassed to admit as an older student I was not familiar with something so basic as Power Point. The ironic part of the event was the class I was taking spoke about how learners must be accepted at different points of technology comfort and accommodations should be used. I contacted my "mentor" and when I discussed my need to have an accommodation he told me "NO, google for assistance." I contacted student support and was told I could drop the class if I wanted to and hope for another mentor. I explained all I wanted was assistance with the assignment and how could I access resources. I had a 4.0 at that time. Student support explained there was no services for this and researching how to complete the task on my own was my best solution. I explained I would be withdrawing from the college and attending on which offers actual educators and resources. I spoke with FA and they explained I would be leaving with a zero balance. I am a Director of Admissions for a college which only offers undergraduate degrees so I am well aware of the ramifications. Jump forward, I am being harassed by a collection agency daily about my unpaid balance of over $1600.00 and it appears I have no recourse.
Run from this school as fast as you can. If you are looking for an institution that actually educates students and offers resources and tools to succeed, this is not it.

Please Read this prospective studentsI enrolled in the DBA in Information Security in 2011 - I finished all the classes in 1 year with a 3.9 grade average - I took the comprehensive exam and finished in less than half the time - Now I am 9 months, thats right 9 months into writing a concept paper that seems to never get approved. You spend a week making revisions, then 3 weeks waiting for feedback - meanwhile you pay 860 a month tuition. I can honestly say no matter what - I would not recommend this school to anyone - even if I got my degree today.
The whole program is a scam, the teachers are useless, and they are not pushing anyone to a degree

Transferring While I Can!I enrolled at NCU so excited to start my EdD degree. I am in my third class and I am working on a transfer to another university. The school is not horrible but it is definitely not "teaching" me anything other than handing in papers by the due date and using APA format correctly. There is absolutely no teaching at this school and no critical discussion about topics that you should be a doctor on eventually. How is that possible? I write papers every week without guidance (unless I ask for it) and really let the research teach me (which means I'm using other "doctors" material instead of understanding the true foundation of the course). I am a master at citing work and putting in just the right amount of wording to make it my own but have I really stepped away with any additional knowledge that will stick? No. Now, I started looking to the student boards and reading what other students thought and when i tell you that there are SO many students complaining about the dissertation phase being long and drawn out (as a way for the school to make more money), I cringe. Going all this way with straight A's to get the end and all of sudden it takes 8 DIS courses or more to get approved?? How can you claim that you prepared the students? I grew scared of the growing numbers of complaints and how people were stuck in the program and could not transfer for fear of losing credits and money...so I initiated a transfer before I got in too deep. I really value world of mouth when it comes to education and NCU has been noted for having an exceptionally poor DIS process. I don't have the money to play that game. And I second the idea that the student portal looks like it was built in Excel about twenty years ago. It's maddening to look at the jumble of words every few days. Where is all the money going??? On the bright side, my advisors were very professional and nice.

None 'mentors' don't waste your $$it's hard to extract that NCU is a program they throw papers into the lesson tell you to read them, forget it if you might have a question or need more information. Someone had mentioned they are a correspondence school, it's only a one way communication... You ask they don't answer anything!
I withdrew from the class they have very creative billing. The total for the class was $128 less than the total student loan. They sent a 125 dollar refund. Then told me I didn't attend enough days and they had to return 758 to the lender. Interesting then they said they want the 758 + the 125 overage!! Really. SCAM + don't go to this place. Terrible terrible terrible

Stay AwayNCU has become a correspondence school...after being taken over by a private equity firm, they are ALL about money. Changes (and there have been a TON of them) are all geared to keep you paying. Continious enrollment, for example. Purported to be for your own good, you are ALWAYS in a class, enrolled before you current one is completed. If you want a break, you have to ask permisson to not attend school. Awful.
The dissertation process has been a nightmare. Each iteration finds new and expensive things wrong, designed to keep you there and keep you paying. Don't believe the fanboys who say "complainers just can't handle self study"...this place has ZERO quality control and is looking for a buyer as I write this. They needed to get the cash flow up so they could plump up for a buyer.
Be smart, don't start at NCU.

Forget the Ed.DAll classes taken were okay and worth the expense of a non-residence, accredited degree. I passed all classes and passed the comps. Then came the dissertation phase. This is really where they stick it to you. The chair works with you by providing suggestions for your concept paper. You get it approved by your chair and the OAR rejects it and has you write it over again. This happened four times to me. Each time you have to re-enroll in the dissertation class and continue to pay for more classes. After the concept paper, you get to do the same game with your dissertation proposal. They will continue to find reasons to reject your paper and keep you paying for more classes. I wonder what their actually doctoral completion rate is.

Current Employees' PerspectiveAs a purely online university, NCU is not the worst in private education. That said, their main objective is to drive up enrollment, revenues, and profits to elevate valuation the company in order to sell to the highest bidder within the next 2 to 3 years. The university is owned by a couple of private equity firms (Rockbridge and Falcon) wanting to cash in on their rapid growth over the past 4 years. Several of the executives have equity positions which will reward them accordingly. These execs come from institutions such as Education Management Corporation and Quicken Loans.
This profit centric model does not necessarily cause poor academic quality. Remember, persistence equals longer cash flow per customer and a higher student population, very important financial metrics for investors. However, the senior leadership lacks the appropriate focus on academic quality and is far more focused on spending more and more money on acquiring leads to contact and convert to new students while increasing their profit margins through higher tuition to ultimately increase the university's valuation for sale. Accreditation is critical as it gives a sense of validation of academic quality.
As front line employees, many of us are frustrated with the rhetoric at NCU highlighting academic quality when we know they will let in doctoral level students from countries like Vietnam at very low English proficiency levels and then fail them after collecting some revenue.

NCU is a high-quality institution with high academic standardsI have had only great experiences with my mentors and academic advisor at NCU. It is sad to see former students try to injure a schools' reputation because they did not get their own way. Online learning is not for everyone and the requirements are more difficult...especially in a doctorate program.
I have completed my MBA with NCU in 2009, and decided to complete my DBA with them. NCU is like every other quality university, there will be glitches and everyone will not be happy but, I have been with NCU as a student throughout the glitches and I'm a witness to the wonderful improvements to overall course structure, mentor quality, and streamlining that has been done. I highly recommend NCU for those who's learning style fit with online learning.

Dissertation via emailI think there are a few students in the doctoral programs who have not had problems, but that is not my situation. Those that have no problem moving through the dissertation process, usually have one of the better Chairs. Even the new revised templates are a joke with so many errors and when it is brought to the attention of administration, no one cares. It is too bad that the public cannot read what students post on the NCU student boards and the NCU yahoo site for students and alum. One to one mentoring at NCU is via email, unless the Chair or mentor chooses to engage. Even in their revised guidelines (2013), there is no requirement for Chairs to have a conversation with the student. Everything is emails with a one week turn around. No one should expect a Chair to teach them, but everything via email? The majority of doctoral students have graduated from NCU without ever speaking to their chair or committee members and, that speaks volumes.

Any graduates out there???I started my PhD in education at NCU in 2006, but only completed 12 hours. I had to withdraw due to personal reasons, but was thinking of reapplying. My professors were great overall. I did have to wait a day or two to get my questions or concerns answered, but I did get the challenge and support I needed. What I didn't like was the problem with getting transcripts and other official documents from the university after I left the school. Now, I don't have a problem, but during the first year after withdrawing I had to be very persistent about having official documents mailed to me or to another institution. During the first year after I withdrew it was difficult to get in touch with my professors when I needed references/recommendations. Now I do not have a problem because I have their personal emails. What I am most concerned about is the value of the PhD degree after graduation when seeking employment. Are online PhD's seen as having the same value as the others received at a campus? Is there anyone out there who has graduated with an online PhD who can shed light on this matter? Does anyone know of a professor with an online PhD who is teaching at a traditional university or do all online PhD alumni have to seek employment at only online universities? Thanks.

Wonderful ExperianceI am completing my third year at NCU. The experience has been very rewarding. As I am now completing my EdD degree the program is designed for independent learning. Part of the process is developing the skills of analyzing and responding in-depth not just completing an assignment for a grade. After all if you are working on a doctorate degree you need to be ready to use these skills. I have experienced a mentor that was unfair in my view and my concept paper completion was challenging. On the positive side I learned to deal with difficult people and jumping the hoops is part of the process of becoming a doctor. This is not elementary school where you just need to turn your homework in on time. You can complete the program if you engage the process.

Psychology PhDIt's a mixed bag. For the most part good, but when it comes to the dissertation they don't seem to know what they are doing. My impression is the faculty all have other day jobs, so when it comes to your research, you are not their first thought or objective. But I would take into consideration that many of the very negative reviews are written by students who cannot study independently [which you will need to do and you must be self-driven]. And many reviews written by disgruntled students who obviously cannot write, therefore did not meet the NCU rubrics for papers and scholarly writing.

ED.D in Leadership of Higher Education-Good So FarI have taken 3 classes so far with this school. I am now on my 4th class. I really do not have anything to complain about. The program is what I expected it to be. You will need to make your education your own. Do not expect to hand held. There were points of frustration, but the financial aid and course work is on par. If you currently work in Higher Education, the course work aligns up and makes the program easier to work with.

Abusive to studentsI was at NCU and passed the comps first time (the part that gets most people) I was in DIS II...but they had changed my chairs three times. None of which had ANY knowledge of my field. The latest simply refused to give any real answers. Simply told me to 'check the university documents' or 'review successful dissertations'. So I complained and requested a new chair. As soon as I received notice that my request had been declined, my chair and advisor filed a complaint claiming I had violated the student code of conduct. I had not used any insults, denigrating comments, slurs, etc. I had been exceedingly polite. But had pointed out the grounds for my complaint. Now I have filed a counter complaint for student intimidation.
The internet is replete with dissatisfied former NCU students. Now NCU would have you believe that all of these are just people who could not cut it. But that is simply not true. I personally know retired military officers, published authors, inventors with patents...all with masters degrees from prestigous universities who left NCU in disgust. People who frankly have more accomplishments than most NCU faculty.
But what can we do? Well do complain to the Better Business Bureau and to the accrediting bodies. No your single complaint won't have any effect, but dozens or hundreds will. Write letters to the department of education. You and I may have moved on, but we owe it to the next student to pressure NCU into improving...or to deter students from attending.

Churn 'Em & Burn 'Em Is Their GameWhen you get to the dissertation phase they make you take the same courses over and over and over...Why? Did you suddenly become stupid? No, they know you already have poured a ton of money into the program and to protect your investment you will keep pouring it in. They don't care if you ever finish, and in fact they like it better if you don't. Avoid this place like the plague. Even if you should somehow manage to finish people who know better will be laughing at your bottom tier joke degree. Pay a little more and go to a real school that won't jerk you around as much.

Be Very CautiousThe school is probably fine unless you are attempting to complete a doctorate, which is difficult at a brick and mortar school. Sadly the school's motivation appears to be money. Tuition is increased every year and staff turnover is constant. You don't really see the issues until you have a problem and you soon discover that their favorite word is "no". There is no teaching, but paper correcting. Nearly all flexibility is lost. Many students are afraid to discuss serious problems for fear of repercussions. Even when you get to the doctoral process, you have absolutely no say on who your chair will be and if perchance there are issues, you are stuck and unhappy. Be wise and take notice of the reviews that are not positive. Most who have already graduated are under the old system where there was more flexibility and more choice. JUST BEWARE! They can become quite unethical

No Issues with NCU ProgramI've just successfully finished 6 years working on my Ph.D. at NCU. I'm a professional already working in the field and just needed the letters after my name. The PROS: no residency (perfect for a full time career & family), locked-in tuition rates, flexible teachers, set expectations in course requirements. If you can synthesize materials and write well, you'll do fine. My mentor was great, my teachers were responsive and thoughtful. I never had an issue tailoring assignments to my specific research or job-related interests. I had no issues with changing program requirements, management, or tuition and fees. I just kept on working and the changes really were transparent. Costs were on par with other universities - I paid for the convenience of online in a field I wanted and I'm okay with that. The CONS: courses are what you think of from a traditional mail-in distance ed. course back in the 1920s - send in an pre-determined assignment and get feedback, the only difference is that it's online. There's talk of changing this. I hope they do because there is so much out there for online ed now. Minimal teacher/student and student/student interaction. You have to make the effort to seek out those interactions. Don't be fooled by not needing a GRE to get admitted, this is not a program to figure out that your writing and critical thinking skills aren't up to the graduate level. It will be a painful and expensive experience for you and you probably won't find this out until you get to the dissertation (see other comments on this board). That being said, I've spoken with many many colleagues and they have all said the same thing of their traditional graduate school experiences: It's not the coursework that weeds people out, it's the dissertation (from Harvard to NCU - same/same). Basically, the expectation is that you'll bring the skills needed to the program, the program will not give you the skills needed, just the information. I planned on 5 years, it took me 6.5 years - 9 months of that was data collection for my dissertation and not NCU's fault. If you don't mind working alone, are highly driven and organized, and are fine with reading and writing a lot - you'll do well in the program.
Good luck!

NCU - An expensive email correspondence schoolSyllabi and reference material outdated for many courses. All seems ok, and then you start the dissertation courses. If you are looking for an experience that is more like a correspondence course, then NCU is for you. You are on your own. Unless you are one of the lucky ones, typically Chair guidance is via email and comments on your paper. Easy money for dissertation chairs. Administration could care less, it is a for-profit, and there is very little interaction. Now of course it should be difficult and, of course, you should be self directed, that goes without saying. If you could read the boards where students can post comments, you would run! I do have a lot of respect for the graduates of NCUs doctorate programs, because it is really writing a dissertation without any guidance and/or an advisor. Know that I now, it is too late to transfer into another program.

So Far So GoodI have taken two classes with this University, and I am now taking my third. So far, it has not been so bad. The work load is what I expected for an online university. However, there are a couple of concerns though. The textbooks seem a little outdated. The information is good, but outdated by a couple of years. The second issue is that the syllabus can at times not be clear. I have been confused on more than one occasion. However, if you have a good mentor, then He will explain it to you. The school might not be for everyone, but it works for me. I am taking 1 class at a time, and I am able to keep up so far.
Be prepared to write papers every week with an average length of 5-7 pages though.

NCU-Money GrabbersNorthcentral is NOT military friendly! Beware! In 2012, just as I was finishing up a class, a closer family member passed away and our home experienced extreme water damage (causing us to relocate our home's contents), I asked for an extension. The school of education turned me down flat, no explanation!!! When I signed up to retake the course, they stated that financial aid would not cover the class and that I would not be able to take another class until I covered the $2260 for the cost of the course. Beware if you are effected by the economy.

NCU- A Quality InstitutionNorthcentral University is a quality academic institution. This university is highly competitive in obtaining a doctoral degree as it should be. The graduate curriculum is absolutely more rigorous than the graduate programs at some of the more traditional bricks and mortar schools. I am speaking from experience. When I sat for my licensure examination, I passed first time around while others from traditional universities had failed it. The pass rate of the examination was 48% for first time takers and 23% for retakes. Suffice to say, I am very happy with my education here at NCU. If anyone is contemplating initiating a doctoral program here at NCU, BE PREPARED TO STUDY, RESEARCH, WRITE, AND PUBLISH like you've never had before!!

NorthCentral is a huge RipOff!!!This school is a money pit. Their mentors and administration do not communicate with the students. I think they feel they are too good to return emails or voicemails. It is a money pit, they will continue to fail you to collect more money. Waste of time, go to a University that is more money as you will save money by not attending this University. I am currently in my fourth class and plan to transfer to Walden or a legitimate University. This one is a joke!

Lucky I Withdrew in My Last PhD CourseI am lucky I withdrew from NCU when I was in My last course...I wasted my money and I had no option apart from running away. The University reviews were horrible...contradictions all over.The chairperson of the university review lied and went contrary to literature...though I appealed and she resigned immediately afterward, the Dean was not kind out of the shame i had brought to one of his faculty member....I dropped immediately after I won my appeals and luckily, I was accepted in European University and completed by studies there in addition to being offered a double doctorates. Dont even go near NCU!!!

Help is needed.Go to the NCU website and just read the student blog and you will see the number of unhappy students. Money is being taken with little to no results and no one is helping. Students are writing to government officials and the accrediting organization but no results so far. The NCU administration is just interested in money and doesn't care what happens to students. Hope someone in authority will read this and take action to help students including a number of veterans being abused by NCU.

Please with the school - Kerry SandersI have attended NCU since Feb 2012. So far, I have completed five courses. I am pleased overall with the school, and really have nothing negative to say. My only concern is with the long term value of completing my education at NCU, as it relates to employment opportunities and reputation.
I am and IT Professional and Educator. I have taken traditional as well as online courses previously. I have also taught using both methods. I have attended small schools, CC's, as well as completed one of my Masters degrees from a major institution (Go Blue).
NCU so far has provided the best online experience of any school that I have attended. I believe they have the right formula for non-traditional students. I am not sure why some have commented negatively about the school, but can say, my personal experience has been the complete opposite. The admin staff has been great, and the academic staff outstanding.
I strongly recommend that you consider NCU, if you are looking at attending online. NCU does not waste your time, nor does the faculty (Mentors) give you busy work to complete. They are also responsive, and their comments and the work provide value. You should also plan to spend about 15-20 hours per week for each class.
Again, so far, I am pretty pleased with NCU.
--- Kerry Sanders, PhD Candidate

stay awayNo writing center and writing tutoring non existent. Some professors care and help while most are casually involved reflecting their paltry compensation. The military students mostly hook up with with service officers who nurse then along to graduation. No recommended id you expect good mentoring. Suspect school will be bought and renaned in near future. A poor education at for profit school with high tuitions

Bullshit UniversityI attended this school thinking I will be getting a my Ph.D online back in May 2012. Well my first class was great but I kept having issues with financial aid and kept getting bills and the run around.Well my second class started I could not ever get my professor to email me back pertaining to assisgnments. Well as you know I kept contacting my advisor/mentor which he was no help at all. So ended up withdrawing from that class because I was struggling and was asking for assistace from the professor but never got a response. When I finished the first course I went on and withdrew from the University overall. My experience with this university was terrible and if anyone was to ask me what do I think about attending this University I would tell them to pick another school PLEASE. Well a month later I got a $3000 bill saying that I owe them for the class I withdrew from. I never got follow ups regarding this matter and plus I wanted them to clear this bill because this was not fault. As a student I went over and beyond to prevent myself from withdrawling from the course but I could not get no assistance from my professor, the student PROVOST, and my advisor/mentor. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY TO NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ITS NOT A REAL UNIVERSITY.

Not sure anymore, but management does have a very large egosSomething is wrong with NCU, their class ivory tower they seem to believe they have does not fit the model of an online adult education. For one, they really look down on faculty who have DBA's or other types of doctorate - you have to have a PhD, if you read their emails and faculty announcements, they really believe only PhD's have the higher ground - bizarre from an online university.
Second, this ego has transitioned to mentoring learners - it’s almost impossible to get a PhD there, you have to fight and struggle so hard, and you are constantly corrected on your submissions - many times they repeat the same things – one mentor will say something, only to have the school review board say something else, and after you correct that, the school review board again will say something new. I've seen and talked to learners who have cried because of this, and there really is no help.
In my years there, I know of six people who have completed their degrees.
The leadership there has forgotten that a PhD only shows you now know how to do basic research. A new PhD grad is not a researcher with years of service or many published articles, but somehow they think they should be.
From observations, they want to be an online Harvard or Stanford, it is not a business model that can sustain – and its interesting reading the academic leadership – the cross of experiences would tell them they are following a faulty business model.
Finally, they are instituting some kind of faculty cleansing – many good and caring faculty are being let go, the mentor I had for the last two years is being let go, and he is a much published academic with a number of successful dissertations under his belt. NCUs reasons are constantly changing as to why this is happening, seems to be hush hush…
I don’t want to say anymore as I am finishing up, but if I had to do this again – I would really take to heart the many reviews written so far.

The Real Skinny on NCU - Stay TunedI am about to start Core classes 10 and 11 - So far the program has been ok - I had 2 bad classes - one was statistics - I got a B, but teacher gave me a 60 on my final - I also had a research class that I dropped and retook - because the teacher had no clue on my topic and kept rejecting it
I will keep you posted

Met all my expectations.Its been a year now since I graduated from NCU with a PhD in Business Administration. The degree has helped me gain a better job than I previously had and has opened up new opportunities for me that I did not have before. It was a good program. I am very much appreciative of how rigorous the Dissertation process was as it allowed me to produce a thesis that I can be proud of.

Run for the hills....NCU is big on profit but not on engaging the student and teaching you anything. The “Mentors” are a huge joke. If, you want to pay outrageous tuition for a self -taught education this is the school for you. NCU what a joke, they give all online schools a bad name.

"Mentors" that don't MentorI am a huge fan of education and of all the online programs I took, the University of Cincinnati's Criminal Justice (graduate) program was THE BEST!!! I'm usually deployed, so I've basically forced to take my degree programs online. I understand that there is a huge market for online degree now and I assure you these online-only schools are taking full advantage.
I was elated when I found that NCU had no residency requirement and had a Criminal Justice program. But wait, NCU is a BUSINESS SCHOOL, so how can they offer Criminal Justice, right? Oh well, I figured it marketable for me to have a Business PhD that I can market as a Criminal Justice PhD as well. Win-win... I hope. We'll see. One chancellor understand my reason to earn a PhD online, but shuns online-only doctorate programs. Hey, he is a chancellor of a big name university in Indiana and since I was interviewing to teach there, it pays for me to take note of this. Unfortunately, the school (and many others) don't offer doctoral programs in Criminal Justice :( Oh and at the time, NCU was reasonably inexpensive at around $1700-$1800 per course. Better than Capella's $4500 per quarter whether you take one or up to three courses (who does that anyway... three online doctoral courses per quarter is suicide, but I'm sure some are strong enough to do it... I'm not. However, NCU has raised the tuition rate THREE TIMES since I've been a student here! Really, three times and Now I'm paying damn near $2400 per course!
Now, I expect phD programs to cost more. I expect online programs to cost more. However, TEACH ME SOMETHING!!! The mentors at NCU do not mentor at all. I even had one that told me that my reference page wasn't on its own page. He refused to accept that he moved the text down when he input his comments in my paper (not mentoring on business or anything mind you, but APA-related comments). It moved the text down as if you were inserting lines or paragraphs. Yet, he would not even go back to look at the original submissions that clearly showed the references page was separate from the text (as was the cover page, title page, and even the table of contents.
I escaped that course with a B (oh, and only 3-4 points from an A, but the points he deducted from the reference page issue could have put me at a low A, but an A nonetheless. I'm still wondering why I had to take that course (SKS7000) because it didn't seem to have ANYTHING to do with my status as a doctoral learner nor my degree specialization.
Other than no instructor assistance and the one [bad] instructor, my main issue is that the instructors don't teach anything... literally. I'm not exaggerating here. I mean, no lecture notes, no mentor input, nothing except almost worthless comments AFTER you've written the paper. WTF does my $2400 pay for here???
I can't transfer to Walden or Capella because they have residency requirements that I can't meet because I'm overseas a lot and I need the PhD so i can be eligible to teach at most universities, which is my goal (conduct research and teach).
Always do your due diligence with online schools and read the comments that students post. By the way, I'm not whining because I received poor grades, I've a 3.7 GPA and I'm fine with that. However, I want to actually LEARN something if I'm going to spend $2400 per course and write papers every week! I'm desperately seeking another school and trying to be careful about taking more classes, because ultimately, I'll reach a point where they all won't transfer to the new program, but I can't waste time getting this degree, which I'm just not very proud that I'm earning because I'm getting my knowledge from the textbook and scholarly research that I (not the mentor) found for myself. Granted, as a doctoral student, I'm supposed to learn how to conduct my own research and all, but shouldn't the mentor (that's what NCU calls them, instead of instructors or professors) teach me some of what he or she knows? If they can't or won't, then why not just accept my $50,000, I'll write the dissertation, and accept my diploma. NCU is worse than a diploma mill. I'm beyond frustrated.
Demand much more from your school; after all, you ARE the paying customer!

Progressive Review #2 of Many - Progressing AlongI'm back to offer a second review as promised, with the intent of elaborating on the previous review. There's been over a year's gap in time since my last review, and a few things have changed both within my life, as well as with the university. First of all, the mere prospect of attempting a PhD, and subsequently noting this on my resume, has landed me a new job as a Director of Information Security for a top private organization in my local state. This isn't to suggest the degree alone landed me this role, but the flexibility provided by the university to allow my attendance while still working full time has obviously delivered some advantages. Secondly, I've changed my degree focus within the University from International Business to Computer and Information Security. In working with some of the professors and academic advisers at the university, I deduced this focus to be a much better use of my skill set; along with providing a better focus on my immediate and long term career goals.
Relating back to my original review, and agreeing with several other reviews on this site, there's been a high degree of administrative turnover within the ranks of NCU. The Dean has announced his retirement, I've had a couple more academic advisers, and some of the notable professors I preferred working with have left the ranks of academia , or at least as far as NCU is concern. Additional changes include a full commitment by the university to offer 8 week course options within all fields of study. This offers students a shorter path to graduation. While this may provide a way for the university to acquire more federal financial aid funds at a faster rate, the university's accreditation, federal financial aid qualifications, and overall course quality don't seem to have suffered. Tuition has gone up a couple hundred dollars per course, as you would expect in a for-profit institution. However, as noted earlier, Uncle Sam seems to have no issues with footing the bill for federal financial aid students attending this institution.
My ideologies regarding self-guided study are still holding true. I continue to read all materials required by NCU, as well as additional scholarly publications, in preparation for the course activities and the looming glooming dooming dissertation process. As I mentioned in my previous review, the mentors at NCU are hit and miss, as with any university. I've identified a few of the winners along the way. These individuals tend to stay in closer contact than those more detached from their duties, allowing for the development of a preferred dissertation board when the time comes.
Finally, I'll deliver a quick note regarding the administration at NCU. Things don't seem to have gotten much better... What with all their talk of reorganizing the university's processes to better the student experience... However, things certainly haven't gotten any worse. Does that count for anything? As the institution evolves their dissertation process, I maintain, perhaps naively, that NCU just might be able to iron out the creases in the dissertation process by the time I make it there next summer. Barring this miracle of educational evolution, I may have no other choice than to suck up the political bull that is rumored to center around this process.
In summation, not much has changed in the last year of attendance at NCU. I still maintain that you get out of this education, a reciprocal of what you put into it. Doctoral degrees in general are not an easy task, and they are certainly not to be taken lightly. Your ability to get a 4.0 in a Master's program speaks nothing to your ability to obtain a doctoral degree. It's a special breed that is capable of this feat. There's a reason less than 1% of the world's population lead their name with "Dr.", and that reason is NOT "... because it seemed like the next logical step." Sooner than later, I hope to count myself among the select few. When registering for your first class in this program, keep in mind NCU is a fairly new organization, and is expanding rapidly. The lack of policy and structured, coupled with rapid expansion, is going to result in some bumps in the road; likely taking their toll on you, your wallet, and your patience level. If you're already registered and are working through the degree, hang tight... you're almost there. If you on the fence about attending, this school is as good as the next institution. If you want the best educational experience possible, expect the responsibility of progress to rest on your shoulders. This isn't preschool, and you aren't four years old. You're a grown adult, and are expected to take responsibility for your own success. Go get 'em. :)

Great program - horrible adminThe instructors were excellent especially my dissertation committee. This is really a "you're on your own" kind of program which was great for me. No discussion, no team work, just get a syllabus and do the work. The support from the admins / counselors was horrible and worst then non-existent - they sometimes pretended to help you but did not! I would rather know they would not help and adjust accordingly.
I understand they are now hiring FT faculty to work the dissertation committees which is certainly a step in the right direction.
I would recommend them with caution. Check with their continuous enrollment policy and things like that before you start and be sure they are offering what you want.
As far as degree quality - it has served me very well and I have increased my adjunct options and income.

Run Away as Fast as You Can!I am a doctoral student at NCU and I wish I had transferred when I became concerned about NCU's bad business practices and ethics. I have been stuck in the CP stage for months for very questionable reasons. Each time there is a rejection another course must be paid for. The new full-time dissertation chair model is a joke and has only been done to support the upcoming accreditation. Doctoral students are stuck because no other colleges will take them when they are this far along and NCU knows this. So you either keep paying the money or you will never receive your degree. NCU also dismisses students and keeps their money with no degree. Write to your attorneys, legislators, and the accrediting organizations if you are currently enrolled. If you are not enrolled - Run!

Northcentral University's administration just plain sucks.I have only been a student at N.C.U for a short time, coming from another graduate program and a teaching assistant-ship at an above average state university in the Midwest. In my short time at N.C.U. I have been lied to, I have falsely been told certain things regarding policy and procedure, only to find out later (after the fact of course), that something else was true, then told that I was mistaken, even though we went over this particular issue on three separate occasions via' phone conversations, which are all supposedly recorded, but you as a student have no access to those recordings. The financial aid office and advising are where I have had the most problems. The financial aid office should have no say so in what goes on in a classroom. That is between the professor and the students. The financial aid office will hold your living expenses, which is your loan money...depending upon how you are paying for school. If you fail to meet a deadline for an assignment, while the school itself has received the money from your lender. They just refuse to process it, based solely on their due-dates, which again...have nothing to do with them. I personally am a financial aid student, without it I could not attend school and since going back to school full-time I have left my full-time job, to ensure that I do well in my graduate program. I am a straight A student because I put forth the effort.
Secondly, I can't really seem to get what I want educationally from N.C.U., I have spoken to my advisor on a couple of occasions in reference to course content and my educational and career goals, and I have expressed concern that I am studying things that will never apply to my career-track. I did this within the first day or so of class and she simply said "well, your too late now, your committed financially." Actually, I believe that I was within the drop date, and due to their policies of a rolling admission, I could have simply switched classes,and started a new one the following week, but she was too obstinate to allow me to do that.
The financial aid office is the worst, they never call back, until something has already gone wrong, and it's too late to fix, which translates to the student getting shafted on their living expense checks. If you are going to attend N.C.U., just make sure you have money put back and don't count on your "stipends" (they call them but they aren't really stipends), it is your loan money that you are borrowing, not some sort of pay for services (ie. teaching classes) from the university.
I have liked my mentors so far. They have both been really good people, easy to get along with and have always replied to me when I needed them to, although not a lot of feedback from either of them with regards to research or writing. I have decided that N.C.U. isn't the program for me. This will b e the last class that I take there. My advice is simple. If you are looking for a good program, jump through the hoops and go to a state school, at the very minimum. You will never receive any better education from any online university, and for what N.C.U. is charging you can afford to go to a regular bricks and mortar school. I understand about work commitments and children and things of that nature, but I have realized, hopefully like you will that N.C.U. is just another business. They are not a scholarly institution, so if you want a degree just to hang on your wall and you don't mind the B.S(and I don't mean Bachelors of Science), or if you live in a rural area and can't get to a campus, then maybe N.C.U. is for you. Personally, I am not impressed and I think operating a school on a business plan is the wrong way to, for the students. But what do they care? It's a business, it's just supposed to make money. Take care and good luck.

Fantastic -- IF you are seriousIf you are interested in online education, ignore all of these "it's a scam" posts. I am nearly complete with my doctorate program and have found it to be an incredibly rewarding and worthwhile experience. The faculty is helpful, the quality of the education is top notch.
Of course, YOU MUST BE SERIOUS ABOUT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN EDUCATION. If you are just going to sit back and hope that a teacher holds your hand and walks you across the education street, go find someplace else. This is an online program for adults who want to work hard and learn.

Good ExperienceNCU continues to be a positive experience. Yes, in 8 graduate classes I have had both great and not-so-great mentors. One was awful; that happens everywhere. I believe that is probably a common experience.
Many people are complaining about the cost. Degrees are expensive. Others are dissatisfied with the lack of support. At this level, students should be independent learners with the ability to do research and write appropriately. The activities are pretty straight-forward. Online education is not for everyone. It's a known fact that online learning is difficult. If you need someone to hold your hand through the course, this program is not for you.

ManagementNCU is a scam and definitely not Student Centered. I was kicked out of a class for what they said was nonattendance after 1 week. I was active and almost finished with my first assignment when I got the notice. I emailed to question and did not get a response for over a week. They sent me an invoice for over $2,000 for the class that they kicked me out of for not be active. I know it sounds strange, but they insist I did not not properly withdraw. I told them I did not withdraw they kicked me out. Now I owe $2,000 and could reapply at a higher cost and shorter course term. Sounds like bait and switch to me. I would look anywhere else than this "school", they are just out for money. Lastly, I am not sure the physical school actually exists because I called and nobody answered the phone several times. I got a new adviser just about every class and turnover is out of control at this place. RUN! Save yourself!!!!

NCU is not for those who request the motto "Student FirstI searched for several months to find a university that did not require residency. I also was attracted to offering Doctoral students the opportunity to present your dissertation over the phone. I recently began my Ed. Doctorate in Organizational Leadership Specialization. My initial mentor was great, met institutional requirements of grading assignments within 3-day turn-around. Was able to pick up the phone and communicate with the mentor anyday, anytime. My grievance with the institution did not begin until my 4th class. All assignments are to be turned in no later than 11:59 p.m. Sundays. The mentor is required to provide a grade, no later than 3-days from Sunday. My first initial assignment, my mentor was not familar with the syllabus and guided me wrong on how to address the first assignment. This meant a redue. Second grievance, the mentor would never grade my assignments until on Friday of each week. Each preceding assignment mirrowed the first, so it required me waiting on the mentor to give feedback from the prior assignment. Now this type schedule has caused a lapse in the calendar of completing all assignments before the semester ends. As the class progressed, I made all "A's" and (1) B., until we get to the final assignment. The issue began when I received an email from mentor who did not realize the semester had ended, until one week later. The mentor asked me to contact my advisor for an extension in order for me to submit the final last (2) assignments. Now bear in mind this is my mentor, who does not have a time management system, and has caused me to fall behind. My advisor tells me it is my fault that I did not squeal on the mentor, as well as advising me I will now fail the course due to the (2) assignments not being graded. So,I am not allowed an extension, of course I have paid $2K for the class. This made me think only once - If the student is not "first" and the decisions made is to make more money, I have to consider other options. This was truly unfair, when the fault was not mine but due to a lax mentor. My decision to attend NCU was a mistake and so, I have now made application to another university, before I give NCU another dime. For all who make the decision to attend NCU, think twice.

This school is terrible. No ethics. This school stinks big-time. Way overpriced and doesn't care about students. Refuses to hold mentors accountable for poor performance. Refuses to accept responsibility when they screw up. Tuition has been increased at an unreasonable rate. Cannot keep an advisor employed more than a few months. They should be ashamed.

Successful GraduateI only go after jobs posted on the Chroncle of Higher Education site these days, and my last three jobs are from there. I have an NCU PhD BA, plus other quals, and work FT at a foreign ACBSP Accredited school. My compensation exceeds 130K USD per annum.

No Straight A'sEveryone is not making straight A's. I have a B, A-, & B- in some of my classes. The policies have changed, fees went up, and the instructors/mentors are from all over the country. Some mentors are helpful and some are not. I wish I had their job. My advisor is great. NCU is an independent online program--meaning that you are teaching yourself while others are grading your papers or PowerPoint presentations. As far as the textbooks goes--they are out of date. However, when you write your dissertation, it is expected that we have current material. Assignments have changed to from suggested due dates to fixed due dates. Perhaps, it is a blessing in disguised or sign to transfer.

Enrolled in the "e" learning doctoral programI am a professional already teaching in the online environment, chose this school as it was relatively inexpensive, first of all the fact that they are calling my area "e-learning" made me nervous since that term is very outdated. Just now taking a course on "e-learning" where they are using books from 2001! If you are in this field, or even if you are not, you might see that this looks like a red flag issue, using such old books for a cutting edge technologically based field. Also their LMS is extremely creaky and antiquated. Oh, and they excert the UTMOST control over students, recently there was an online "town hall" where no one was allowed to ask questions, no question of participants being allowed to chat with each other or have any sort of interaction.

International Education--Ph.D. or Ed.D.The International Eduction doctoral sequence is a poor program ineffectively mentored, a program with courses redundant of each other and activities that are mirror images of others in the sequence.
Make-do assignments and mentors with no background in the student's field of focus make this school a dreadful waste of time, energy, and funds. Instructor comments--often wrong, by the way--are demeaning and focus almost exclusively on APA style rather than on the content in which they have no background, of course.
Only extremely self-confident and self-disciplined folks should enroll in this school. However, if you value your work and your purpose, please--attend one of the good brick-and-mortar universities.

SCAM!!!! RUN RUN RUNCon artist. I was enrolled in 1 class and they billed me for 2. I with drew from the course and they said i now owe a $7800 bill. COn artist and scam. the mentors were slow to respond to emails I think only 2 people work in the office. You will always get a voicemail if you call. there are plenty of other univrsitues to attend. RUN RUN RUN!!!!! SCAm SCAM SCAM!!!!! TRUST ME!!!!

Love itI am a current student and I was intimidated at first regarding the whole idea of an online program. It took a few weeks for me to catch on to this type of learning platform. Once I adjusted I really came to enjoy it. It is up to me to complete my coursework. I feel more accomplished when I turn a paper in and recieve an A. Everytime I have asked for help I have had a quick response. I have had one issue with a professor and my academic advisor handled it swiftly. If you are the type of learner that needs someone to "hold your hand" through coursework, online education is probably not for you. Not that that is a bad thing. Everyone learns differently. For me, I am able to maintain a fulltime job and other life duties while attending Northcentral. I would reccomend this school to anyone.

school is not worth the costAt this school you are entirely on your own, there is no interaction with other students and interaction with faculty is very limited. Very little support or guidance is provided. School does not have an email system, webpage is horrible, technology is way outdated. The price keeps going up but nothing improves. This is one of the worst schools you could attend. If you leave the school, good luck trying to get ahold of anyone. The only people at this scholl who will talk to you is the enrollment people, then once yo sign up you never hear from them again.

ProgramQuestionable business PhD program at best. No face to face time required. Very easy entrance requirements could make this school a haven for those that hire someone else to write their dissertations. Not AACSB accredited and seriously doubt they ever will be.
Do yourself a favor. Talk to people at your local state school. Search for jobs requiring a PhD at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

AmbibalentI attended NCU in previous years for a few classes then re-enrolled a couple years ago. It is a good place to get the paper you want, but you will teach yourselves.
My biggest issue is how they make consistent changes during the same school year...(programs, financial increase, mentors...instructors) and pretend it is all for the benefit of students. This I do not believe.
Frankly I believe those in charge only care about the money. The mentors basically correct your papers and do the best they can, but it appears that they pretty much come and go also because of dissatisfaction. Tuition went from about $1300 to over $2300 in a few years,(doctorate) claiming that all costs are now inclusive. (Joke). In the end, you still have to pay a graduation fee. Some students who came in in prior years, due to administrative changes could not finish on time, and were NOT grandfathered in under the old rules. Well, the school made plenty of money from them and the student had no final degree.
The staff at NCU will back up anything or any choices that are made. They must to keep their jobs. I DO NOT THINK it is a good school, ethically or otherwise.Once you get into it, it is too costly to transfer elsewhere.

Caveat Emptor"Caveat Emptor!" This is a private, for-profit, school owned by the Rockbridge Growth Equity, LLC and Falcon Investments, LLC. Any wonder then that, among incessant rise of fees and tuition, the US Department of Education in 2011 ascertained that this school failed its 2009-2010 financial responsibility criteria thus requiring it to post a letter of credit so that students could continue receiving federal financial aid at this institution (reference: http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Chart-/129353/).
Bottom Line: Prospective Doctoral students, think twice about enrolling.

Not impressed with NCU policymakersI was a PhD Psychology student in 2010 at NCU. During my second course they revamped their policies and tuition/dissertation fees which hurt a lot of working adult learners, me among them and I had to withdraw at the completion of my course. I think they had a mass exodus of adult learners due to the changes because I got a call a month or so later asking me to please come back. Uhm, I don't think so. As far as I'm concerned, they took their eye off the ball by changing policies that hurt adult learners--which is allegedly the whole focus of for-profit online schools--meeting the needs of adult learners.
I will say that the two mentors (instructors) I had were awesome, very supportive and motivating, and my short academic experience was very rewarding solely because of them. I don't regret attending NCU because I learned so much from the two mentors I had . . . I just don't trust NCU's investors and policymakers and am, therefore, unable to recommend NCU to anyone.

Definitely for Independent LearnersOk, so I'm an independent learner and I have done very well; however, I have been met with some challenges that were not my doing. Straight A's so grades are not an issue. I'm a great communicator and I "get" what they are trying to do. The biggest problem faced by Northcentral from a student's perspective is that their systems are broken. Personnel don't know who to contact for what; the doctoral process is a jumbled mess; committee members aren't motivated to really help students or give guidance...primarily because they get paid one fee for their services to a single student. Committee members are different, I realize...but in my experience they are falling short of providing the guidance needed and no one follows up behind them. The academic integrity is quickly going out the window. Furthermore, most of the Committee Chair folks are new and students are suffering as committees learn their way around NCU systems. Listen, when a committee keeps your paper for 5 weeks and it is returned with very few comments, something is definitely wrong. I believe it is a "process" issue.

Great program but not for everyoneFirst of all, it is well documented that on-line learning is not for everyone. To be successful, you have to realize you are responsible for your education. There is no classroom where you gather with others. Most people need the classroom environment in order to learn. It is on your shoulders to learn. The programs is very good. It can be very difficult. If you are not a self-learner, do not take on-line classes. If you have no drive, do not take on-line classes. Those who blame the program do not have the ability to learn this way. It is not a bad thing. There are many ways to learn. You must evaluate how you learn. This is serious. Your success or failure is on you, not the institution. They provide the resources.

Don't Attend NCU Im currently enrolled as a doctorate student in this college. Truthfully I feel as if I am being ripped off. I’ve tried to give it a fair assessment over the course of my second year but this college continues to make head scratching moves. This college appears to b a rip-off. The education is par at best. The cost continues to increase. The interaction with professors is mediocre. Furthermore, I am suspicious of the amount of access everyone in every department seems to have to your day to day educational progress. If it works for you then please disregard my words. But for those who are just coming in even though I have received all “A’s” this college experience is particularly peculiar. My suggestion would be to do some extensive research before your enroll in this college It appears to be a rip off.

PhD in Accounting worth the time and $'sI'm just finishing my 10th course at NCU toward my PhD in Accounting. Like most have said, you get what you put into your education, and this is true at NCU, where the requirements are well laid out and demanding, which requires time management and discipline. I've had only one instructor that I felt I could not work with, and NCU agreed with the circumstances and re-assigned me to another mentor who was awesome. If you have the discipline to work on your own, the support structure is there. Great program, and would recommentd.

Frustrated and Angry in the Midst of NCU ChaosNCU has been on a downward spiral for the past several years. Doing the basic coursework for the Ed.D. the school was satisfactory at best. The dissertation sequence, however, has been a nightmare. I already have three graduate degrees from excellent institutions, so it's not like school is new to me! Over the past year I have had four different committee chairs! Their expectations have evidently not been aligned with the requirements of the Office of Academic Research. Twice my committee has approved my proposal and it was twice rejected by the OAR. Although no one told me or any of my committee chairs (there had been three up to that point) the school no longer allows researchers to use phenomenology as a research method! The same OAR had approved the methodology when it approved my Concept Paper. Apparently, communication of such policy changes never made it to my various committee chairs.
So, I am now on Chair #4 and have resubmitted the DP for a third time, this time with an approved research method.
It seems to me that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Leadership is in a constant state of flux. I have lost count of the deans and other leaders who have come and gone. In the three years that I have been in the program I have had, I believe, 6 or 7 different academic advisers.
The structure of the doctoral program itself is anything but user-friendly. The learner is not permitted to have any direct contact with his or her committee members! All communication must go through the committee chair. That might be fine if the committee chairs didn't keep changing!
This school gives scholarship in the 21st century a very bad name. They now have a lot of my money, so I keep plugging away wondering when the next change in policy, or the next change in committee chairs, or the next new dean is going to come along.
As a professional educational administrator myself, I do wonder how NCU survives!

Going well.I read alot of the bad reviews, yet I don't find that I have this experience. Yes the work is hard. I appreciate the different types of assignments to turn in. They are not all papers and they do relate to actual experience. I am on my 5th class and this is my half-way point. I am sad to read about the negative experiences, however mine has been positive.

Brick and Mortar school vs on-line Northcentral UniversityI completed an MBA with NCU. I discovered the lack of live interaction between students with students; and students with mentors rewarded me with a weak degree. The knowledge I should have with an MBA is lacking when compared to a brick and mortar school. You will actually learn more from the book "MBA for Dummies". Even though I finished with a 4.0 average, my knowledge of Lean Six Sigma just wasn't enough to compete with my peers, until I got additional education from another source. Some mentors are very good. However, half the mentors I dealt with simply collected a paycheck (my tuition) and left me to learn on my own. Syllabi are haphazardly written. The Dean refused to talk with me about a mentor's poor performance or my displeasure with other aspects of the school. Steer clear of NCU and any other for profit online education.

Am pleased for the most part...but...I am a BAPSY student at NCU and am finishing my second class. I received an A- in my first class but am struggling in my second with a 66% which at NCU is an F. I am frustrated as they are both research based classes and are very similar. So how can I get such a wonderful grade in 1 class and not so much in the other?? The mentor!! My first mentor was helpful and encouraging while the second is not at all. I can't seem to do any right in his eyes which is frustrating as I am a good student overall. Word to the wise be careful who your professors are and plan accordingly. Also if you have financial aid and are entitled to a refund STAY ON TOP OF IT or you wont see it for months. The other staff are actually very accessible and friendly. I would recommend this University to friends if you are good at online coursework and can take ups and downs in grades. Im going to stick it out and see how the rest of my classes go. Will report back in March after classes 3 and 4. Wish me luck!

Good ExperienceI'm now in my 6th class at NCU. I wrote a good review when I was in my 3rd class. I'm happy to say my experience remains positive.I have had professional experience with financial aid, my mentors and my other students. I hope it lasts. The Doctorate degree is really a research and writing degree. Most of the work is independent and the student must be a self-starter.NCU has a good format for visual learners like me. I spend hours studying and researching everyday. If you are not discplined this is not the school for you. My only complaint that the classes were 12 weeks and now they have changed to 8 week options, so I like it even better. The 8 week classes do have due dates unlike the 12 week. I liked not having due dates, but I wanted to get done quicker.

NCU is average online schoolI am at the tail end of my MBA with an emphasis in healthcare administration. I am worried that my degree from NCU will not be looked upon as favorably as other schools. The education is decent but I've had a couple of big issues with one of the instructors and that has put a bad taste in my mouth towards NCU. I am also very disappointed in their constant tuition hikes and their clever marketing ploys to jack up their profits. They disguise their schemes by telling you they want you to finish your degree faster when really they just want your tuition money more. They are a "for-profit" school that is more concerned about money than your education, sadly.

SCAM SCHOOLRip Off School! I should have been suspected a concern when they accepted “all of my hours” which is something “they don’t usually do” as the admissions individual excitedly told me! I have a 4.0 average and for some strange reason I cannot pass the comps! Now, one would wonder why an individual could make straight “A’s” and then get nailed for “APA formatting, poor sentence structure, and other issues. When I asked the question as to why professors would pass me and give me A’s in classes and then fail me, the only response was “this happens all the time.” I questioned the ability of professors to grade if all my course work demonstrated A work and then to be failed! Stay AWAY!

DisappointedSchool is okay if you want a degree, flexibility and independence. Frankly I don't like the school. They constantly have mentor attrition. Don't think board members are concerned with anything but to make money. They say they are a research institution but they are NOT INTERESTED IN RESEARCH. I know this for a fact. I would not recommend the school to anyone unless they want a piece of paper.

Does not follow best practices in online educationEvery course syllabus in my graduation program is the same. It's obvious that the courses were developed by someone outside of the major and not the instructor/mentor. Very little response or support from online faculty. The administration does not support learner/student complaints; even from professionals in higher education. Discussion boards do not follow best practices, i.e. there is no discussion between anyone. I have been the only student taking a course in all six of my courses so far. Some mentors are extrememly rigid and do not want to be challenged. Avoid Northcentral and other for-profit institutions.

NCU PHD business administrationMajor issues with this university in regard to mentor/learner support at this school for the RSH/DISS sequence. I have been in the program for 7 years. I have straight A's and the topic, concept, proposal are all approved as ok. Now after 6 years in the RSH/Diss sequence the school has been threatening to throw me out and has limited my submissions to the OAR. I am in the last course and the OAR has rejected my manuscript stating there are severe flaws in the study. After having the paper evaluated independently by several statisticians have verified the study cannot be salvaged. Hence I have to start over. How can a school approve three documents over 6 years then say nope you have to start over and give us more money!!!? I have had the statisticians look at the other documents and they have come to the conclusion that the dissertation has been in decline since the concept paper. I have had 6 mentors, and at least 5 different committee members over the past 6 years. In addition, I have received canned feedback throughout the process. Students need to rally together for a class action suit. This unethical behavior must stop at this profit university. I have no phd now. The only good thing about this experience is at least I have no school loans. However, I know most students do. This school will lose it's accreditation. This may seen vague but if you have had the experience then you will know what I am referencing. Anyone interested in putting things together...email me...kiersty66@gmail.com But do not ask me to divulge information you can share that with the attorney. :)

Don't waste your time or your moneyI only took two classes at NCU. I have been at this for many years. I have never had a terrible experience with any of the universities that I have attended. I have attended three total. One for me A.S. One for my B.S. and one for my M.S. I am not one to quit or give up on anything. One of my 'mentors' (as they call it) kept contradicting herself on APA standards. When grading assignments, she would attempt to correct grammatical errors. In the comments sections of the assignments, she made numerous grammatical errors herself. When trying to file a grievance against her, I was accused of a code of conduct violation, which was absolutely untrue. The e-mail that was supposed to have the violation in it miraculously disappeared. At the other universities, I have never had a code of conduct violation. I also never had any academic problems either, I graduated from all three with honors. I have never had an experience like at NCU and I would not recommend it to anyone.

For-Profit is NOT student friendlyFolks,
This is a for-profit university. The economic incentives grossly retard HOW the education is pushed to you, the low, sub-par quality of student-peers and professors, and any agreement you make will be stacked against you. Sure, you may get through a for-profit program with little fuss, but if you find yourself unhappy, you WILL BE stuck.
So after high pressure sales tactics, I finally get my "Enrollment Agreement" that they really, really wanted me to electonrically sign, BUT they tried to get me to give them an open-ended e-signature that will give them open-ended consent on all furture agreements, changes, etc., unless you are seriouly paying attention. I call to complain, and stated my opinion as such.
Here's my e-mailed response to thier proposed Enrollment Agreement:
"You know you're in trouble when over a quarter of an "Enrollment Agreement" details arbitration. This is a sizable red flag.
So let me get this straight, I agree to allow this University to charge any and all fees throughout the duration of a 5-7 year program, all off which are subject to change; you want me to forgo my rights to sue this for-profit program in court in the event I am wronged; and, my favorite part, you get to change any term or condition at anytime you want?
Yeah right. I am quite amazed that people actually enter into such a decidedly one-sided agreement that utterly protects this University and affords no protections whatsoever for the student. None! What a waste of time. It violates every precept of contract law, fairness, and consideration. I'll be sure to articulate my observations on the social media / blog boards.
Please withdrawal my application from Northcentral University. I have exhaustively researched the for-profit model as well as this University, and I find them both to be comical at best, devastating to higher education at worst.
Respectfully,
Eric"
Take the time to read. Your not engaging a student-friendly education institution. You are entering in an agreement that was written for shareholders and the protection of the bottomline.

The only hope for rural peopleNCU is a great school that fulfilled my expectations. I feel the education I received was just as thorough as any other b and m school. It was particularly useful to me because I live in a rural area, far away from any university.

Progresive Review #1 of Many - Recently StartedI started a PhD in International Business Administration back in the beginning of May '11. I have been at this post education thing for the better side of a decade now, and find NCU to be just like any other school; you get out what you put into it. Having attended both B&M and online schools in the past years, I'm an advocate of online learning actually being more productive (to the right learner… I’ve graduated with honors in all degree programs attended) than B&M schools. I’m not going to bash anyone leaving a bad review on here… as they obviously had a bad experience in some manner, but I can offer you my findings for my own experience as I have witnessed them.
Online learning requires a learner with a great deal of initiative... Without this, you can coast through a course and get nothing for your $1500+ tuition bill. However, learners who take advantage of the independent learning models tend to walk away with a more comprehensive education than those who are spoon fed a "tunnel vision curriculum".
While NCU bears a close resemblance to a correspondence school (According to a few reviews here), it's got key differences that make it quite different than those types of schools. I've had learners who offer quite a bit of constructive insight when grading my materials. However, I've also had instructors who look at the paper, leave two comments, and give me a 98%. This is the same at NCU as it is at any other university. Professors are a lot like grade school kids... a few winners... a whooooole lot of losers. This is where that educational initiative comes in. I've had a horrid professor that might as well have slept at her desk while grading, and I still gained a massive amount of knowledge about managerial statistics. Why? Because I studied by backside off using the text, companion website, web, etc... I took the effort to learn what I wanted to, and succeeded quite well enough to believe that I could in turn teach the course myself if asked.
As far as the administration is concerned, I've had minimal issues with them, they stay out of my way, and I stay out of theirs. I've had more administrative issues with my wife attending the local community college than I've had with NCU remotely. I have had some bumps in the road, but it wasn't anything an email to the proper department didn’t fix. Also, the academic advisor I have seems to do fairly well with addressing my issues. Response times from him and all other NCU staff, including professors, is a bit slower than I like, but I'm used to an office environment where waiting no more than 12 hours for a comprehensive resolution is the norm. Response times from the university average about 48 hours... make of it what you will.
Tuition is what it is… I’ve seen much higher rates at much worse institutions. I feel for the effort I am putting into my PhD, and the amount of knowledge and guidance to that knowledge I get out of it, I’m getting a good value. At $2,200 per course, it’s what I expect from a post graduate program. The school could use a better financial aid portal for me to browse on my own, but any information I ask for from FA comes to me in a timely and complete manner.
The University’s true asset seems to be its resource databases. If the school has made a single smart decision, I’d base it in their purchasing access to index databases of research materials from organizations such as NexisLexis. I’ve gained about 70% of my knowledge through reading resources available in their dissertation and scholarly article databases. These are the true sources of a comprehensive education at any level. Extra effort excerpted to research areas that affect your day job, personal interest, and real world situations is the mark of an APPLIED education… The best kind of education in my opinion, is one that you can instantly relate to your professional career.
Likely, my biggest complaint about the University is its website layout. It looks like this thing was created using GeoCities back in the 90s. For what I pay in tuition, you’d think these guys could afford a java developer or two. However, if aesthetics is my biggest concern so far, I’m happy. It will be interesting to see where things end up as I approach my dissertation process… I’ve heard murderous things about the process here at NCU… then again I hear murderous things about the dissertation process at any promising school. I’m far from calling NCU top of their field, but if the process makes me look further into my research and make an effort to better present my data, it’s serving its purpose.
A final comment here… NCU is starting their 8 compressed course offerings on September 8th for all education levels and programs. I have one more round of courses before I can migrate to the 8 week model and hopefully finish my research degree much sooner. I’ll be posting subsequent reviews as I progress through my degree so that other prospective learners can get an honest and detailed insight into what they are in for.
Moral of the story so far: If you’re not prepared to shoot for a 4.0 GPA… you don’t belong in a PhD program. Get ready to put on your big boy/girl pants and crank out 50 – 100 pages of research MINIMUM per course; don’t be surprised if you easily double that when making a solid effort... My first round of classes produced almost 250 pages of research… all of which can be reused when doing my dissertation research. If you aren’t willing to make a solid effort to teach yourself things outside of just what the syllabus suggests… You obviously don’t have a mind thirsty for abundant amounts of knowledge, and you’re making a poor decision to become a profession researcher anyway.

Gave it three of four attempts...I have attended NCU off and on for the past 4 years. The materials required for the classes are on par with Brick and Mortar offerings. For the most part, the adjunct faculty (mentors) that I worked with at NCU were top notch. The value, support, and overall institutional quality is where I would continually get snagged. There is what NCU could be and then there is what it is. I applaud a for-profit model and Higher Ed Institutions could do so well if they would just get the focus right. Profitability through administration of a high quality program that leverages technology available in this century. CONS: No student email account, a student portal and course management system that looks like it was designed in the mid-90's, poor administrative support (particularly in financial aid/accounting), cookie cutter syllabi with no creativity based on subject content, zero teaching from the mentor (read the book, write the paper, repeat). PROS: Superb reference library and reference management tools. Regionally accredited at a fair tuition price.

Disappointed in all the chaosChaos. There have been 3 provosts (a senior leader) during my 4 years. They target military/government students due to their high tuition entitlements.
Of their top 6 "leaders" (Pres, PRovost, deans, academic officer), 50% are their own graduates which I think might even be an accreditation violation. They change policies as often as one might change underware. There is simply no one in charge.
They hired individuals to approve concept papers, then say no they are not approved. This results in more money to the student. They have high employee turnover (3 deans in 4 years).
Run

Worst school everI enrolled in the DBA program and out of a 3 month course the first teacher I had didnt respond to me for 1 month then I had to fill out tons of requests to get a new teach who said everyone in the class was stupid and remedial. I carried a B thorughout the whole class until the final paper he didnt even grade the whole thing which brought my final grade down to a C-. Then the billing night mare began. First they said I owed $381.00 because they claimed I withdrew early then once that was fixed i didnt hear anything for 3 months until without notice they blinded billed my credit card with no notice. then when I brought it to their attention they said because my grade was a C- instead of a C i actually owed $1100.00 this school is a joke if you have complaints contact Keith Blanchard at the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Educaton

NCU is what you make it to be I am currently in my 6th course at NCU and I've had ups and downs with the school. HOWEVER, I've been attending college for many years and I have had similar ups and downs at all schools that I attended. Some professors you like, some you don't. It is frustrating when I want a question answered and it takes forever to get feedback. But, I love that I control how much I want to learn about a subject. If I want to read ten articles on a topic, I can, if not, I am not required to do so. Through my Master's program at a local college, I often had to sit through lectures where it seemed like the professor could care less about being there. Just because you're in a building, does not mean you're actually learning something. Going to school online was not my ideal choice, in fact I started at a local college for my PhD. At the end of my first year I was told that curriculum changed and I had to wait to get my degree, or drive two hours each way to a different campus for the next three years. Again I say, all schools have their issues. I hope that my dissertation process goes smoothly but from my understanding NO dissertation process ever does. NCU, like all educational institutions, requires hard work on your part. You have to be on top of your financial aid, your documentation, and your schoolwork. It's just part of being an adult learner. I'm enjoying the information I get to analyze for this degree and thankful that I don't have to spend 30 hours a week in a classroom, quit my job, and go deeper into debt to do it.

DO NOT TRUST NCUI hope this message is received by possible applicants of NCU. DO NOT DO IT. It isn't worth it. I am finishing my Doctoral degree and have attended a half a dozen universities. I have never run into the unscrupulous actions this school has been delving out to me. Not to name names, but the people that are supposed to be in place to ensure student's needs and rights are defended, are failing to respond or put corrective action into place. Please don't make the same mistake I made, steer clear of this University!!

Some Mentors Great Others not so much.....This is my 4th class at NCU. The mentors I had prior to this class were fabulous. Although one was a little too critical, they provided feedback above and beyond what I expected. The feedback was insightful, thought provoking, and very helpful. Unfortunately, like anything else, some do no respond in a timely manner and when they do their feedback is entirely format-based.
Hopefully, there will be more positive experiences in store.
I must add that the tremendous increase in tuition was stunning. They should have been easier on current students.

Is this legal?How is it possible to receive an "A" in all of the dissertation courses (where your concept paper is completed-and praised by Mentors) yet receive a "resubmit" when the same concept paper is submitted to the dissertation committee? It is common knowledge on NCU's Yahoo group and their own forum that many students are forced to retake classes, thereby paying more money and delaying the degree, for no apparent reason- and this is always at the very final stage, right when you don't want to quit because of the investment already made. NCU's answer to students about this is that they do not have to explain their position. I do not know why there is no regulation or investigation into this practice that seems to have started within the past year based upon the many complaints from other students. NCU accreditation requires them to act within certain guidelines that are not being followed. It is almost impossible to get a PhD without paying double the fee and time originally quoted. Some students have had their dissertation committee changed up to 10 times. I would suggest that any applicant ask for graduation completion rates and course retake rates before signing up at NCU. I have no issue with their tuition, only the fact that they are withholding degrees to milk more tuition payments beyond what the program requires. Of course, the answer is that not all students are PhD material- yet an investigation should be completed to see how many of those students received A's in all of their dissertation courses which according to NCU's own course description(s) would demonstrate that they are in fact PhD material.

So Far So GoodSo far, I'm working on my 5th course with the PhD Program in Business Administration. I have no complaints so far. I love being able to work on my next assignment as soon as I'm done with the first. As well, I like the fact that the professors communicate with ou. You are given a timeline that is not mandated to follow; just as long as you complete all assignments before the due date. The academic advisors make sure you are comfortable with your schedule and they accomodate you.

A school in declineI just graduated from the MBA program at NCU last month. The school is in decline. In the 3 years it took me to complete my degree tuition went from $850 to $1,850 a class. As many have mentioned, the steep tuition increases and changes in policy came with the recent management change. Academically, there nothing wrong with NCU other than dated technology. However, the tuition increases, constant policy changes, and lack of communication from the administration make the school difficult to recommend.

Stay AwaySince Rockbridge bought the school a couple of years ago, the school has been in a steady decline. Policies were being implemented constantly, with no warning, and no grandfathering. Tuition went way up, and support for students went way down. The program is fine until you begin the dissertation process, where it becomes a nightmare. There is NO support, NO proper feedback, NO proper mentoring. The professors play the "resubmit" game endlessly, causing students to continue paying for additional courses, often taking over a year without allowing progress. If you look at the dissertations that were approved, there is huge inconsistency in quality. Many students have invested all their time and money, only to be told "time's up, you lose". Meanwhile there has been no guidance or communication from so-called mentors. It is strictly for-profit, and its not the students who profit.

Mixed, and Getting WorseI LOVED this school when I started the PhD program. I used to be its biggest ambassador- I told everyone about how great it was. I'd done brick/mortar grad programs for several years, but left after my children were born and needed something more flexible. NCU's PhD program seemed to be just the ticket. And for quite awhile, it was.
My classes were overall rather good. Mentors varied, but so do instructors anywhere. Mostly they were thought-provoking, responsive, and I learned from the assignments. I had a 3.7 gpa, which was roughly the same as my gpa in the B&M APA psych PhD program I had been in.
Then, about a year ago, things changed *radically*. Administration changed. The "guaranteed tuition" I'd had since paying in full at the beginning? GONE. No one in finance or administration would reply to my emails asking why they weren't honoring their agreement.
The dissertation process is simply awful. I'd heard complaints, but I thought I was pretty good at working with committees, so it would be ok. WRONG. Turnaround times? A joke! I've waited *weeks* for replies the handbook promises would take days. No accountability, either, not from the Dean, registrar, or review board. I'm strongly considering calling in third parties to address grievances. Students in the discussion rooms and chat groups are also experiencing the same.
It's sad- I brought two people into the school as learners, but from here on I am going to recommend against, rather than for, enrollment at NCU.

Successful CandidateI succeeded in the program and successfully defended my Dissertation. My requirements for a PhD program were a) regional accreditation, b) ability to publish, and c) online or part time. I found NCU to have good quality course work and text books. The Dissertation was challenging and I am happy with the work. Overall, the program was well designed, with each course fitting nicely with the next. Reviewers for the Dissertation were tough, but meant well. In the end, I completed a regionally accredited PhD and am very happy with the program. I would recommend NCU, but note that it does require a lot of hard work.

So Far, So GoodI started to NCU a few months ago. I'm in the Ed.D program for Instructional Leadership. I was very lucky to get a good mentor for these first two classes. All of my assignments have been turned back to me within a few days.I have had no trouble with financial Aid since I started. I did have trouble with Financial Aid as I was registering, but that may have been partly to transferring schools. I really appreciate the freedom of turning in assignments on suggested dates versus deadline dates with points off if late. I came from a few online schools where we had weekly posts and team assignments. We also were deducted points if the assignment was not in by midnight on the due date. If you start to feel alone in class there is the "New Kids On the Block" to vent and chat. That is the big difference between here at NCU. There are no mandatory weekly posts and interactions among students in my classes.

Course content good and challenging; administration and Dean TERRIBLEThe materials and curriculm are challenging, and in-line with many brick and mortar institutions. The administration and money grabbing are problematic,however. In my case, I completed half of the PhD level courses and took a leave lasting only a few months consequent to the death of my mother, and another family member. I was then informed that I would have to commence the new program due to my absence and that I was required to complete introductory graduate writing level courses. What the hell? I've completed half of the NCU courses with a 3.7 GPA and I require writing courses? My advice is to stay away.

A McDonaldized programI completed my first course at NCU with a B+ but was disappointed when after signing into the next class (STATs) I was not able to get materials befor the class began. They only allow 28 days between classes and you dont even know what materials you need until a week before class. Because the required SPSS program was sold out everywhere and it was Christmas, I still did not have materials two weeks into the class. I withdrew and was told that I only had pay 40%. Financial aid had already paid for the course. The 60% difference was not paid to me or returned to my lender. When I notified the provost, I was told there was no reason for me to receive a refund, and although I can log on to the website, my access to my financial statement has been blocked. I have withdrawn from this university in favor of another university. I belive this university is a degree mill. Students of this university do not have a face or a name. This university is only interested in the money. They have rules that impede your success inorder to keep your money. I have completed a year in another university and have experienced far less stress. Yes, a PhD should be challenging and even demanding at times, but not impossible. I found the mentors and staff to be arrogant and unhelpful.

Look for another optionI enjoyed the program and I had some pretty good mentors. My gripe is with their policies. I called accounting to question an email I received concerning a class I had recently enrolled and was told that I would have to pay out of pocket. I receive financial aid so I was confused. She basically told me that it was my problem and whether I finished the class or not I would owe the university. I received a call from another rep from the school informing me that if I stay in the class they will use my next disbursement to cover the cost. I currently have a 4.0 gpa they had no regard for me as a student I felt like a dollar sign. I would not recommend this school to anyone that is serious about their education.

RUN BABY RUNThis school is terrible! It is a lot of busy work and no real content. As soon as I signed up, tuition increased by $300. Although it is suppose to be a flexible schedule, it is really too much to complete before the time is up. They simply throw the workbook at you and you have to try to do it on your own.Financial aid is a mess as they force you to sign up for the next class before you are ready just to receive your financial aid. Run Baby Run!

Get your education elsewhereVery difficult to get in contact with advisors. Not much accountability between advisors and accounting. Too much finger pointing. In general just not very focused on problem solving. The classes don't seem to mesh with traditional schools, and several mandatory non-essential classes that no other school would give transfer credit for. I have had a few good instructors, but most of them treat class like a paper mill. All we do is write papers, and typically with no other students in a virtual class, it is a very lonely, boring way to get an education. Please review all your options before making a commitment here. I wish I had not been in such a rush!

Do Not Attend NCU.NCU is not worth the money, especially now that the school has almost doubled the cost of tuition. All the school is concerned about is making money. The school continues to make the PhD program more difficult, now a research professor has been added to the hurdle. There continues to be allot of wasted down time which costs the student more money.
Do not waste your money or time at NCU.

Still a GREAT Value for the EducationNorthcentral University has provided me with an excellent education. I received my Master's degree in the traditional setting of a "Big 10" school. With only my Dissertation manuscript to complete, I have found my education at NCU to be on par with, if not above, my previous educational experiences. Education is always about what the student puts into their learning.
Although Northcentral University increased its tuition at the beginning of 2011, its rates are extremely competitive, and probably still cheaper, than almost any other online university. Furthermore, NCU doesn't require any kind of residency. When considering the total cost of an education, students must consider the added costs of travel and residency, not only tuition. With that, NCU remains a more affordable choice. Others have complained about how much tuition has risen in the past five years. However, NCU's tuition was extraordinarily low and has just now risen to be close to others.

Federal Aid Recipients Beware!If you use financial aid with this university BEWARE! They use funds like their own personal checkbook. They will withhold funding, manipulate your disbursements and stipends to meet their needs, not the students/learner. I too am a former employee as well and unfortunately the culture is nothing new or different then any other for-profit education company. If you use Financial Aid I would recommend revoking authorization for them to manage your funding, this is my best advice as a seasoned financial aid auditor.

So far so goodI am working on my PhD and am about to begin my 4th course. Having achieved my first two degrees in traditional universities, I was not sure what to expect. So far I am quite satisfied. The pace is quick, the work load is moderately heavy, and is everything I expected from a grad level course.
I read some of the previous reviews and I was surprised at some of them. If the student is not disciplined or needs to be coddled and hand-held, then this is not the school for you... but then a traditional school will not hold your hand either... If you are in a graduate course, they expect you to act accordingly.

The worst university that I have hadI used to work for NCU and took classes from NCU. It is a place for you to pay an obnoxious amount money for tuition and fees, do 99% of the work and fight to get your degree. Support from mentors was nearly zero. Sometimes I made errors in my assignments and still received an A with a short comment from mentors "Good job!" That's how much time they will spend on often a side job, teaching on line as adjuncts! Some of them are not qualified to teach and chose to ignore my questions for over a month and I finally had to request to switch to a different mentor. I finally withdrew from the university because I could no longer waste my time. Many times, I found syllabi were written poorly with many spelling errors, or incomplete sentences. Once time, NCU did not update the syllabus in the system so I bought a textbook that was too old based on the new syllabus. NCU is also a horrible place to work for. You’re not gona believe how incompetent some managers are. But they got paid very well for doing nothing but creating troubles for other employees who actually did the work every day. HR is not a place for you to go to get help if your manager treated you unfairly. You have no one to share and just have to shallow it all. HR director often avoided dealing with staff. She avoided eye contact or saying hello to you if she could. However, she fired employees very easily based on other employees' false accusation or make-up stories. It was quite depressing working there since you had no one that you could trust to share any feelings/thought about management.
Top management/president of the university is a scammer! Before NCU was visited by the Department of Education in 2007, he had meetings with staff to prepare them for not reporting issues/problems directly to DOE audit team. He said everyone could just tell him problems. But if you did, you received no answer from him. All the feel-good-photos, mission statements, direction panels on the interior walls of the building of NCU were just put up within the week before the visit of DOE. It was really fake! Once NCU received the accreditation for 3 years, management treated employees like trash. Pretty much every week, someone or a group of 3-5 employees will be fired with no good cause. Quicken was one of Wallstreet companies bought NCU in late 2008 bought its own people in and thus some good long time employees had to go! Management often makes up rules as it goes to keep you confused and frustrated. Yes, tuition hike is an obvious trend with this university. New owners are from WallStreet! They are extremely greedy! They're not gona thing about you or anyone out there but themselves. But from now and then, they will pay to have someone to write a good write up either through a local newspaper or a military magazine, or even through their own website. They pick and choose some learners who had good experience with the university to be the ambassadors to "vouch" for them. Of course, you had bad experience; you would never be chosen to write a review. All the reviews that you complete at the end of each class from NCU were never read by anyone there. It was just a making-you-feel-good feature. One last thing, the CFO and controller, payroll administrator, and accounting manager are the ones you certainly do not want to trust. They all suck up to each other and are willing to lie, make up stories when necessary to get rid of other employees that they foresee as a threat to their positions. NCU won't get nowhere if they continue the same direction with unethical management teams and HR. It's not a joke that NCU vouches for itself as the best place to work for. It can only fool people who have limited access to the internet and information. There have been and will be many of us willing to take time write factual reviews about NCU, an university that should have not received accreditation for DOE.

Continuous Cost IncreaseI have really enjoyed NCU until my last year. The classes, mentors and assignments are challenging while also manageable with a full time job and being online.
My frustration is with billing. The classes have continued to increase in cost by $50 - $200 each year. When I started two years ago the classes were $1450 and now they are $1870. It seems that as I get closer to graduation and more committed to the program they charge me more. I also selected NCU because I could take a few classes a year and stretch the cost out longer than normal schools but in my last year the dean passed a new rule that you had to be continuously enrolled or dropped. Between the increased cost and continuous enrollment, NCU has turned a great program into an over priced school.

Great ExperienceNCU provides a great experience if you are a self-motivated student. However, if you need constant reassurance and someone to hold your hand at all times, this is not the school for you. Overall I am very happy with the program and the school in general.

Can not recommed NCU at this timeLike other Ph.D students on this forum, everything was fine until recently. Between confusion caused by the changes in the programs and the tuition hike, I can't recommend NCU. In the past I would have, but my current mentor is the worst I have encountered. The syllabus was updated, but apparently the mentor was unaware of this?!I am waiting to hear what the mentor and my advisor has to say. No one is on the same page so to speak. And the comments on my papers are just references to the APA style book. And a lot of 'unclear about what learner means' my other mentors were MUCH better. But I am too far along to quit now, so even if this course damages my nearly perfect GPA I will suck it up and drive on since I only have one more research course to go before beginning the actual dissertation process.

Not for those unwilling to work!I have been in the PhD program since October 2009, and I am in the first course of the dissertation sequence.
Although I concur with some of the financial issues brought up in previous posts, NCU is attempting to bring its financial department in line with federal requirements, thereby giving access to more learners (and building its bottom line, of course.) This appears to be no different than what is happening at other institutions across the country.
Thusfar, NCU is far superior to other institutions. I have taken on-campus and online courses, and I am an on-campus and online instructor for two other institutions. I hold a BS Ed. and MS Ed. (GPA 3.318 and 4.0 respectively) from two prominent Texas universities, and NCU coursework is far more rigorous than in either state institution. Although it has been difficult, I have managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Again, I stress, it is not easy!
Mentors are excellent overall; only one has not met my expectations. Feedback is timely and generally useful.
There are no "learning teams" at NCU, and this fact alone makes it unsuitable for individuals who are not competent to work on their own or with only their mentors. Northcentral is classified as a Doctoral Research University (DRU) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (carnegiefoundation.org). As such, learners who are successful at NCU are capable of individual thought and hold a substantial work ethic.
What I see in most of the negative posts about NCU is the same lack of work ethic I see in many of my learners: many expect an "A" with little or no effort, and many expect to be spoonfed. This attitude seems to be the norm for K-12 learners, and in the last decade, it has spread to those pursuing higher education. The bottom line is--if you are not willing to work hard for your degree, do not enroll. If you are "one of many" or incapable of individual thought/work, do not enroll. You will work hard to achieve here, but I believe it is worth it!

Positive ExperienceIt appears that people who write negative reviews of NCU have had financial and/or academic difficulty with the school. Prospective students should be aware that no doctoral program is, or is suppose to be, easy. The dissertation phase is especially trying, and that is why there are so many ABDs in the academic world. NCU provided me with an excellent and challenging educational experience. Each class was useful, and the dissertation process made me think & grow. DO NOT expect to sign up for classes and simply write some "stuff", or assume what you think is acceptable in research will pass the reviewers. NCU is striving to improve itself academically, and that is a good thing. People do drop out. Expect to work, expect red tape, and make a commitment. You will be rewarded.

Too Far to Quit but DisappointedOverall the program has not been horrible, but a recent experience with a horribly underqualified teacher has honestly left me frustrated with the program. She provided very little feedback except to give invalid APA edits that neither matched the method she desired nor any other writing standard currently published. Additionally, the new policy changes that have been implemented as a result of their going public are disappointing at best. The school has lost sight of their students in their lust for more money. I must say that my first year was beautiful, with attentive professors and a strong educational program. Yet, I have seen a drastic downfall in their standards even in the last 3 months. And military... stay away! They are no longer the best school for you...they've added too much to their fees and they refuse to work the schedule to accomodate deployments and other issues. Individual teachers help to quell the problems to an extent, but the majority are nearly nonexistent in the mentorship and help as of the last year.
I'm only 2 classes from completion and as such am too invested to quit. But if you have a choice.. go elsewhere. Or at least wait a few years and let them figure things out, because the school has lost itself in the race for money.

Excellent experienceI am at the beginning stage of my program. I have taken a couple of classes thus far and found them to be challenging. I have found the mentors to be very engaging and supportive. I have enjoyed my academic experiences with NCU. I do hope they do not continue to increase tuition at such high jumps!!!

Should not be an accredited programThe advisors lie. I have been signed up for classes and charged for classes I never signed up for then charged for payment. I have discussed matters with my advisors who tell me the matter will be takne care of only to do the same thing again. When I asked for an extension, because of illness, it was granted. However, when I went to complete the class it was not allowed telling me that I had never contacted them. These are only a few of the problems that I have had with Northcentral. This University should not be accredited.

Difficult but worth itGreat learning experience. You must be self-directed and highly motivated as no one will do the work for you. The faculty are wonderful and I loved the mentoring model used by NCU. I too had challenges during the dissertation phase, but I do not know one single person from any PhD program who did not find the disseration phase challenging. Overall great learning experience.

School is AverageIf you can teach yourself, it is fine. The mentors are 90% great. The school sucks because they always change things mid-stream. They just changed where students had to start paying mandatory dissertation fees in beginning research courses. Then a few months later, beginning Jan 1, 2011, classes are offered at an all-inclusive tuition rate.I believe this was made to get more financial aid money from students, and what about those who have already paid part of their dissertation fees, even though it is 4-5 classes away. Many good instructors/ mentors have left. I understand it was about receiving no tenure. Regardless, it is about money to the board members and owners, not people receiving (teaching themselves) a good education. Many schools, online or resident, are the same even if it is a state school. I have found after taking classes at about 10 different schools over a 45 year period, Junior colleges are the best.

bewareI started NCU because it was the only online PhD program in Psychology that I could afford. It is a big deal as a working mom to start school after 10 years of being out of school. My family went through many changes to make it possible for me. A month into the first class, they tuition went up $600 PER CLASS!!!!!!!! Are you kidding! I can no longer afford the program and I am left to drop-out.
Also, it is nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone at the university once you have actually started your classes. And the financial aid department is more than rude.

Don't wast your money and timeI entered NCU with the idea of having a mentor to help. I made the first class with an A and plenty of support from the mentor. Second class resulted in an F, with the mentor making it a point to fail me. My end grade was a 71, a 73 is required to pass. I sent the last assiagnment in, with a note, stating "if there is anything else I can do to pass this class let me know and I will do". The mentor never responded back. I appealed the grade because the mentor who graded did not follow the NCU grading rubric. The chair denied my appeal saying "Mr. Cole did not incorporate feedback from the mentor". I had one assaignment that I re-did and the mentor lowered my grade after stating "the paper was more focused". Please save your money, stay away!

Stay away1st the good:
The teachers are great. They provide feedback quickly. The comments are constructive and help the student to learn.
Now the opportunity for improvement:
They are making a great many changes that are not working out best for the students.
Once you pass into the dissertation phase, things get bad. Administration has never considered the students as customers. They will never return emails or voicemails. Not sure why.
The two week review promise in the syllabus will actually take several more weeks. Meanwhile your tuition bills arrive right on time. Remember, this is a for profit college, and trust me, they will do everything to acquire every penny they can out of you, except treat you like a customer.
Contacting the academic advisor is a large waste of time. Not sure what these folks do, but it is nothing to help the student.
During the D process you will be on your own. The rules will change without notification. You will be taught little or nothing. You will be expected to find out everything on your own. When you ask for help you will be met with silence.

NCUMust admit the recent changes at the school have left me disappointed. The program goals seem to be in a state of flux making it difficult for students to satisfy the program requirements. The requirements for the Ph.D. seem to change often making it difficult to understand what is going on. My chair is equally confused.
The school offers little to no support. There is no teaching or any other guidance. Sort of like a correspondence school.
They have never heard of the term customer service. Emails go unanswered and voice mails go unreturned.
I understand the school is having accreditation issues. But the changes made in 2010 may satisfy the accreditation committee but will most likely result in alienated students.

Please Do Not DarePlease, I would like to suggest to someone contemplating to join NCU to think twice. Let it be the last option if you have no other choice. Coursework is easy but the dissertation phase is hell. Reviewers and dissertation committee members clash on every aspect...the students always goes round in a circle. I cannot recommend the school. After many faculty resignations and high doctoral drop rate, administration did change after November 8, 2010. Lets hope NCU will improve. Wishing you well as you make your informed choice

Not worth the Money and btw fees don't seem to endI took an online class this summer to get ahead for what I am doing at a local university. It cost 3 times as much as the local school I attend, they discouraged me from trying to get financial aid, and the whole class was doing homework problems directly out of the book and emailing them in. There are no video lectures, no support from your teachers. To top it off they are still billing my credit card for fees when I paid in full at enrollment. They are now falsifying statements to make it look like I underpaid and owe more now. Get everything in writing before you enroll and don't pay with a credit card because they keep it on file and continue to charge you even after you're finished.

Run from NCUHaving completed the required coursework, research classes, and comprehensive exam at NCU, I found the classes to be challenging, educational learning experiences. I believe NCU provided a quality education during this stage of my education. I now find myself in the middle of the dissertation process for a doctorate in education...by far the most frustrating and pathetic process I have ever experienced in my lifetime. I am on my 2nd chair and 3rd set of committee members. My chair only responds to every third email and is clueless about the dissertation process at NCU. Any time I contact my academic advisor for help she blows me off and tells me that I need to read the dissertation handbook. I am too far along in the program to transfer to another school. I will complete the degree at some point but it will probably take another two classes beyond the program at an additional cost of $4000. I am beginning to think the multiple delays in the dissertation process is by design...it is definitely lucrative for NCU to delay students. While I am frustrated beyond belief, I know it could be much worse because I read the horror stories of other students on the NCU dissertation discussion boards. I am a full-time professor and know for a fact that if I treated my students the way we are treated at NCU I would be unemployed. I have shared my experience, and the experiences of other NCU students, with my colleagues and they are shocked by the treatment. I will be providing 3rd party comments to HLC regarding my experience at NCU in the very near future.

Being Honest is not Violating Code of ConductI was considering the PhD program in Education at NCU and so enrolled in one course to see if NCU would be a good match for me. Not only was I the only student enrolled in the course, severely limiting the sharing of ideas, but the instructor was not qualified in the subject he was teaching/facilitating. He could not offer any interaction or response to the subject matter. When I tried to engage him in discussion he merely referred me to a list of web links on the subject. When I complained to the administration, they informed me that I was nearly violating the student code of conduct. If a student is paying to take a course and the instructor is unqualified and unwilling to engage in any professional dialogue, then the school is to blame, not the student. I am currently looking for an online school that will provide professional instructors, qualified in the subjects they teach.

Concept Paper Evaluation ProcessConcept paper evaluation is not left to the student's dissertation committee. Even though a student's dissertation committee approves her or his concept paper, an anonymous university committee evaluates every concept paper. Upon submission of required changes to the anonymous university committee, additional redundant changes back to original content may be suggested. This means the anonymous university committee is not attentive to changes it requires in order to meet criteria for concept paper approval. Note: my GPA at Northcentral University (includes Comps) was 3.92 on a 4 scale.

PhD in Business AdministrationBefore enrolling in NCU's PHD in Business Administration, I did thorough reseach on accredited online schools, considering Colorado State University, Walden, Capella, SNHU, IndianaTECH, and many other well respected institutions. I found out that NCU offered best ROI, with tuition much lower that its competition. During my PhD core classes, I found the assignments to be rather challenging, but rewarding. My concept paper was revised several times by my Dissertation Chair, before being sent for university review. The mentor wanted to make sure that my concept paper will be approved if not in the first try, with some minor modifications on the second try. Needless to say, my concept paper was approved first time around. Additionally, I found out that comprehensive exam is just as challenging as any traditional PhD program out there. I am currently finishing my Dissertation at NCU, and if everything goes well, I will graduate in few months. Overall, I am very satisfied with NCU’s programs, delivery methods, and available resources. One-on-One mentoring is the greatest feature that this university offers. Too bad they do not have degrees in other areas or my interests, otherwise I would be taking several more Master degrees from NCU.

Solid Work ProgramI have had good support from faculty in working towards by ED.D. they answer questions in a timely manner, they provide solid input to my writings and constructive criticisms that will benefit me in completing my work. I do have one problem, that is when ordering materials from there book store they on many occassions are out of stock, print or outdated and will not be available. Makes it hard to work on some of the projects. It would be beneficial if they would evaluate the books and update the programs book references.

A Positive ExperienceWhile NCU has some issues to work out like any school, especially a relatively new online school, I love the fact they don't use the same marketing tactics as some others. A lot of people have never heard of NCU and to me, that is a good thing. Folks have definitely heard of the main ones that use ridiculous marketing tactics.
One issue is that NCU will admit most anyone with the proper prerequisite degree, who can find the funding. This can be a good thing but also has a downside because not everyone is cut out to be able to earn a doctorate, but they don't realize it and NCU does not screen them for this before entrance.
Many of these people are dedicated hard workers, but determination alone, and taking the time and spending the money does not "entitle" everyone to earn a doctorate degree. It is very hard and very challenging. It seems to me that those who don't make it drop out after repeating a few courses, or failing their COMPS exam, and then blame the school for being "only about money."
This is not true. I made it through and several new students do their final oral defense every month (they are announced and Learners can listen to other learners' defense. I would choose the same school again if I had to do all over.

Another Happy StudentI am currently a student enrolled in NorthCentral. I am in agreement that this school is not designed for someone that need their hands held. It makes you think outside the box. That is a benefit because these teacher will not be around if you are at an organization and you are relied on to make decisions. I had no problem with the responses when it came to asking questions. I have completed 2 BA degrees and is now enrolled in a MBA program. Out of the three years here, I had no problems with anything. I have even had responses when I have asked questions on the weekend. I am sorry that others feel the way they do and maybe they have not gotten what they were looking for. I have recommended it to friends and they are enjoying it.

So far, so good!I am completing my third graduate-level Psychology course through NCU and I am very pleased. Having attended other graduate schools - traditional and distance - NCU is exceeding my expectations! The course assignments are interesting and challenging ... and the 1:1 feedback is great. I greatly appreciate the flexible timelines and the not needing to "post-a-response" to other learners (as in many others schools). Being a college-level instructor of 11 years, I am impressed with the educational process.

DisappointingI recently quit NCU. After several mentors who didn't know APA from XYZ I was ready to start the research classes when the $2400 dissertation fee was thrown in on the next class. Never mind that you don't have anyone to ask questions of concerning the dissertation, just pay the money and hope you get through. Spoke via email with several students farther along than me that stated they would have quit as well except they had too much money invested. My academic advisor, my 3rd one in 2 years, was as helpful as she could be. I feel sorry for her having to be the point person in trying to answer for the school. NCU has made it very clear that money is their number one priority. Being the only completely online Phd program gives them a captured audience with plenty to continue to enroll as others leave. Good luck to those that remain.

NCU is a good dealI am a third year PhD student in Applied Computer Science at NCU and I am pleased with their program. After a college career of 6 previous degrees, the majority of them earned at traditional B&M schools (and all regionally accredited), NCU was a breath of fresh air due to the fact that it offered a PhD online.Most of the mentors I have had were very knowledgable about their subjects.
I find it interesting that the individuals who are posting negative reviews don't seem to have even a basic grasp of grammar and sentence structure, yet the individuals who are posted positive reviews seem to be very succinct. I think the negative reviewers were hoping for an easy degree and are disappointed that NCU has high standards that they can’t live up to. For someone like me with a full time research career, having this flexible schedule in a work study format is a blessing. I could never earn enough as a traditional PhD student to support a family.
The main issue to focus on in regards a school’s reputation is regional accreditation, and NCU is regionally accredited. Even if they are under review, they have been approved, and from what I understand it is difficult to lose regional accreditation once a school has it. None of this means I think NCU is perfect. It has experienced growing pains and does not always do things efficiently. However, no school I have attended ever has or will, and that includes a traditional Ivy-league level institution. This is just human nature. For what I am paying to complete my dissertation plus the regional accreditation, NCU is definitely worth the time. However, for prospective students, don’t think this will be an easy ride. I have had to work harder than any other degree, but in the end it will be worth it.

Not what it seemsThis school is all about the money. Very poor screening of faculty and committee members. Once you've spent a very large sum of money they drop the $2400 disseration charge on you 5 classes prior to being able to any research, ask queations, etc. Constant retake of classes due to faculty and dissertation committee blunders or apathy. You spend an awful lot of money for little in return. For those of you that had too much invested to quit, best of luck.

Great School - very rigorous NCU is a great school for me so far. The academic work is very rigorous. I am comparing this to a traditional college degree I earned 10 years ago and an MBA I earned on-site 5 years ago. So I have only taken one other course EVER online to compare to NCU.
Compared to my on-site work NCU is much more rigorous. The expectations are higher and the other learners are much more intelligent. Even in my MBA I was appalled at the level of the students. Not the case at NCU. I suspect this is the reason for many unfavorable reviews due to rejections for admission.
I have personally visited the campus - it is beautiful. I was introduced to NCU from a Ph.D. who is a dean at the Private (Top 10) University where I work. He and another Ph.D spoke highly of the programs and he had a great experience at NCU.
I have had the same experience. Hard work and very intelligent instructors. They are dedicated to the students and do grade very tough. I actually expected it to be easier! I thought after my MBA -- which was a breeze -- that this would be easy. I was wrong and I am glad for it.
My concentration is in education technology and I cannot rate the course management system NCU uses a 10. It certainly could be improved upon. The books are current and relevant. The instructors are leaders in their fields. The Institution is great from admissions to financial aid to the deans. It is a bit expensive, so I rated value down and support could be perfect and it is not. I regularly have to call in twice to reach someone to speak to. Email is much more effective through their messaging system.
Could NCU be the perfect university? Yes. Is it? No. It is just better than the rest I have found.
As far as a residency requirement goes there is none -- however -- I have been told that during your dissertation (I have not reached this point yet) you should expect to be on-site several times to meet with your committee members. This helps facilitate their attention as well as provides valuable face-to-face interaction on this monumental task. Is there still a value to face-to-face? Yes! Just because NCU is "online" does not mean you cannot get that attention if needed.

8I do not understand all the negative reviews. I have taken classes at this level at other schools and Northcentral is expecting more from their students. It shouldn't be easy people....if it were, everyone would get one.

Stay away from a money-mill bought by Wall StreetWhat a joke this school is, I pity the people that attend this school and needs some adjustment or help in any procedural thing, they are in for a shock and a big fat F.
I was ready to got with money in hand but I need for approval from the school of business Dean; talked to him directly and he swore on his mother's grave he would get back me the following day by 5PM. Two months later, after repeated emails, I talked to his flunky and the DEAN said NO - I told the no good S O Bs that is not ethical and I was glad they screwed me early on so I would never attend this school. To this date I have not heard back from the Dean or the flunky.
Stay far away from the school, I have degree from other Online Universities (AMU, TUIU) and they are a million times better than this university.
James B. Kirk, CW(R)

Better than in-classroomNCU will not provide credentials for teaching, and does not claim to. What they have, however, is a fantastic EdD program that is hard to match anywhere in the country. Additionally, the degree areas are far more precise (less generalized) than your average university. The quality of the classes is extremely high, and more important, consistent from one class to the next. Every mentor I have had has been extremely supportive and helpful, but NCU makes it clear that the work of learning belongs to the learner. If you want to coast, find a different school.

A solid educationI am a proud graduate of NCU. The support I received from my mentors was by far much better than any other at public or private institutions alike. The dissertation process was difficult and trying but well worth it. The one on one support from mentors makes many brick and mortar institutions simply outdated in todays global tech environment.

NCU is in TURMOIL!!This was a great school until the last year, but now is not the time to enroll in NCU. They only have a three year accreditation, which means that there are some problems to be addressed. Having said this, NCU is flailing about to rectify some of the issues, but this has created turmoil and angst at the Research Phase of the process. Policies change at the whim of the President, and which are not always publicized. Student programs are not honored.... Students are moved from program to program without recourse. The last research course was shortened without changing the syllabus, and students are made to repeat this shortened course, and are given an "F" until the requirements have been met. Staff support is abysmal, there is no proper business courtesy from "Academic" Advisors (AA), who do not acknowledge correspondence sent, and who need to be prompted for replies to concerns. AAs are changed frequently, so along with faculty firings and resignations, the academic climate is in turmoil.

NCU Ph.D. in B.A. with organizational leadership The NCU Ph.D. program is an excellent model for adult independent learners who are self-motivated, intellectually curious about learning, and have extensive professional experience. The program is great value compared to bricks and mortar schools. Many federal agencies are part of the NCU program for their employees. I have learned a great deal and am competitive at work compared to my peers who have graduated from Ivy league schools.

I can not recommend NCUI am currently registered. I like the idea (theory and concept) of NCU. I have summarized my experience over the past couple of semesters. I hope you find this review beneficial.
Institution & Support: The admissions department is great! They were and continue to be upfront, well-informed, and courteous. They come across as sincere and genuinely concerned. The rest of NCU Administration is simply poor. Staff members routinely fail to return calls and emails. If you need information on degree requirements, accounts, etc., please understand that you will have to deal with NCUs voicemail hell. On the rare occasions when I did receive a call back, I was given incorrect and/or inconclusive information.
Materials & Books: I have a serious problem with some of the books doctoral students are forced to buy. In one courses, NCU used books that were not academically appropriate on any level (undergrad or grad). I purchased 3 books for the course (cost $300). The books were missing scholarly references. For example, the books defined management terms without references attached.
Every book that is used on a college/univ campus (traditional or non-traditional) has references. I take my education serious and weak learning materials/books are a big problem for me.
Teachers: Thus far, I have not had a problem with my instructors. NCU will change your instructor in the middle of a course. However, the new instructors have been accommodating and I appreciate that.
At this time, I can not recommend NCU. I would like to see staff mature and grow in their professional positions. Specifically, learning and understanding how to provide basic customer service (ie answer questions and return calls). Academically, I would like to see appropriate books selected for all courses!
If anyone is is having serious problems (breach, failure to release info, billing errors), please follow the grievance procedures. Document all interaction carefully and follow-up via email. If you find a "legitimate" issue is not being handled and you have exhausted NCUs grievance procedures, submit a complaint with the Arizona Department of Education - Private Postsecondary.

It's AlirightI am nearly half way done with my MBA at Northcentral. While it is all online and you are stuck to learn things on your own, I have never had a problem. My mentors answer my questions quickly, but if you are expecting this to be the same as the attention you would receive in a class room, you would be mistaken. This is a program for those who can handle doing their own work without being baby sat by a teacher. This works well for me because I work full time and I can do my work when it is convenient for me. I have a wonderful adviser who does an awesome job making sure I am enrolling in the correct classes and she always responds to my questions the same day I e-mail her. I could go on and on... but I really like the program, but it is definitely not for everyone

Not For EveryoneIt's a good construct however, changes to programs while students are in progress of completing their degrees are not well orchestrated nor well communicated with students. Not much guidance is provided to students on how to successfully get through their programs. Students need to exercise/tolerate changes.

Rigorous Program---Rewarding ExperienceI highly recommend NCU. As many others have listed on this site, it is not a program for students who are not highly self-motivated and capable of independent work. I am just finishing a PhD in the Education program. I have found the entire process to be extremely challenging, rigorous, and rewarding. I have had the kind of experience that I anticipated having in a doctoral level program. NCU pushed my talents and abilities to the max while offering the support that I needed. The NCU faculty and staff always listened to my legitimate concerns and offered their encouragement and support. I anticipated a difficult and frustrating experience, I would assume the same from ANY or ALL universities... after all, this was doctoral level work.
The online factor does create some unique challenges for an already difficult process, but I feel that in my case there were many more positives than challenges. I found NCU to be respectable, professional, firm, fair, and consistent. I found that any problem that I encountered could be resolved and that the root of the frustration was generally a step that NCU was taking to improve and/or strengthen itself as an institution. NCU provided me with the kind of experience I wanted in a PhD program. The best things in life aren't easy.

Ut sementem feceris, ita metes .I am now in my third course in this program. My experience has been positive. The coursework has been rigorous, and the mentors, so far, have been knowledgeable, timely in providing feedback, and supportive.

Worst college I've ever attendedI was in my last course at NCU (before starting the dissertation sequence) when I received a bad instructor. I was informed by one of the Academic Advisors that most students complain about this instructor, and that her feedback, comments/expectations were rather far-fetched and irrelevant to the course. Anyhow, I submitted my first paper, only to receive one point above an F, with comments/feedback that made absolutely no sense. The instructor did not read the instructions for the assignment (so she had no idea what it was even about) and obviously did not use the book because the feedback/questions she asked were contradicted by the assignment and the questions in the book. I contacted my academic advisor about this problem, and after getting the run around, was surprised when the school informed me that this was my problem, my fault, and I needed to deal with it. I submitted a second assignment and, received the same far-fetched feedback and low grade from the instructor. I attempted to schedule a phone appointment with the instructor, but she declined. I e-mailed her several times trying to understand what exactly it was that she was looking for and why she wasn't going by the instructions outlined for the assignment and the questions listed in the book...but I kept receiving an evasive response. I contacted just about every administrator in the school, and finally received an e-mail from only one, and that was the dean of the business department. Once again, I was informed that this was my problem, my fault, and that the instructor was a wonderful asset to NCU. I have two MA degrees (from different schools) with a 3.9 and a 4.0 GPA average and NCU in effect tried to infer that I was some bumpkin who should have been honored to attend such a prestigious school. At this point, I realized that things were only going to get worse, and the last thing I wanted was to shell out more money only to be abandoned half-way through the dissertation process. At this point, I realized that the college was trying to rip students off by making them pay for the same class more than one time in order to make more money, hence, the purpose of hiring teachers who are out to give students a hard time and a bad grade. NCU does not have the best reputation, and a degree from that school isn't considerably valuable, and after talking to several college administrators, was informed that with a PhD from NCU, I was not going to get the job I was looking for. I have two Masters degrees from two other colleges and have had a good experience and both of those colleges, but this PhD program at NCU is awful. Going to NCU is like digging through the garbage can trying to find a piece of crumpled trash that looks like a degree. To me, an NCU degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

A Real StudentI can't help but wonder if some of the positive reviews aren't courtesy of the NCU marketing department? I am a real student and I would not recommend NCU. I graduated from UMUC, which is an awesome school, and I regret not staying there! Ugh! NCU is a "for profit" institution. Since I enrolled, they have significantly jacked up the tuition rates, so I feel like I fell for a "bait and switch" con. The course material is ambiguous and the instructors really don't care. The "turn around" time for a submitted assignment is glacial! Don't bother asking a question about an assignment, either. NCU is not worth the money! Trust me, I am a real student. I do not work for their marketing department!

NCU: A fine universityNCU is a fine university that has a strong academic focus. At the same time, I agree it is NOT for everybody. Students of distance learning programs ARE expected to be comfortable with a high degree of self-directed study. I did my Masters from a reputable and traditional B&M (via distance learning) so I can tell you that the NCU experience was even more challenging and worthy. I am proud of my time spent at NCU.
In this post, I want to address some of the common concerns regarding NCU: they are mostly related to lack of hand-holding and the dissertation process.
Concerning the lack of hand-holding, I am somewhat surprised that some post-graduate learners still require a significant amount of hand-holding. If this is the case, then you should examine whether academic post-graduate study is right for you as opposed to getting professional certification in your field. This is NOT meant as any disrespect to any individual - its just that some people like self-study and others thrive well in a regulated environment. Perhaps it is the failing of some under-graduate programs to inadequately prepare the expectation of some students for post-graduate study.
Concerning the dissertation process - I have read, talked to, and shared the NCU experience with other doctoral learners. Those reading this may want to choose NOT to believe this, but IT IS GENERALLY THE SAME EVERYWHERE. Please do NOT expect a doctorate to be handed to you on a platter. YES, some professors are better, and some are not. Some school reviewers are tougher, and others are less stringent. Some professors are the greatest scholars but some of these left their teaching brains in the other jacket at home.
Is NCU perfect? No. Can it improve? FOR SURE. The school should improve. The professors should improve. The administration should improve. And hey, I'm guessing, ... some of their students could improve themselves too.
For the esteemed readers reading my post, let me pose two questions: (1) Why does one study for a PhD? (2) What is the purpose of a PhD program? If the ONLY answer you have was so that people can call you "Dr", then you still have a long way to go.
To all the NCU / online-education bashers out there, please earn your doctorate from a RA-school, then come back and maybe some of us will take you a bit more seriously.
Finally, to the rest of you pursuing your degree at NCU or other online schools, BE ENCOURAGED. Online learning requires a high degree of independence and self-study. You are all people of a certain quality but you must persevere and complete the program. Nothing that is of value is easy; and great success is only attained through much tears and toil. I wish you all the very best!

EdD in Organizational LeadershipSo far, I am taking my third class and I can't complain. Mentors are great and my education advisor is the best. Lets see how it goes, but so far I recommend this University. It looks like they had problems in the past, but since they were bought my the new company everything is 100 times better. The best price per credit out there,, Capella 53G's, Jones University 48G's and Walden 50G's. NCU go to NCU.EDU and find out, way less.... and if you are in the military $250.00 per credit for a Doctorate degree, just tell me who else have that price? Only NCU

Hard Work and Exceptional ThinkingI am currently nearing completion of my PhD coursework and am thrilled with the program. It is VERY intense and a student will learn a great deal. If you are not independently motivated and looking for simple recall of information instead of synthesis, you will most likely have a tough time. There is no hand-holding, they assume you are beyond that stage of education. However, I have never had a problem getting a question answered if I needed help. I expect that the dissertation process will be a big challenge, but it is supposed to be. I will have no doubt that I have earned this degree when it is complete. I highly recommend it!

I graduated from NCU with a Phd and...let us not exaggerate. This is not a traditional DL program as the vast majority of courses do not have or do not utilize a discussion board. The program resembles the old correspondence courses. Essentially I was on my own during the process. I would get remarks to change this or that but never on how to implement these changes. I was expected to research on the solutions. Definitely I was on my own.
The greatest obstacle is the idiotic process of two PhD committees. In traditional schools you report to your dissertation committee. In NCU once you get the green light from your dissertation committee, the paper or proposal or dissertation goes to the Review Committee that usually slaughters the first "approved" review. Often they disagree among themselves. Why? Because they are ignorant. And because they are ignorant, they torture the candidate.
No sour grapes here. I did get my PhD. But I left the place with a bad taste in my mouth.
I wish NCU would realize that having two committees that disagree strongly on their assessments is bad advertisement. Horrible marketing. You have one set of professors say to another “You do not know how to detect mistakes.”
If anyone reads this, FIX the problem now.

Not many other good options out thereI've started my 7th course in the Phd in BA with a Technology Management focus. I have two Masters (MBA and MS) from B&M. I can honestly say that I prefer NCU's format of self study, over sitting in a classroom. For one, working full time and a family, I don't have time to sit in a classroom. I'm grateful to complete my coursework during the time I have available which may be starting at 10:30 PM on a Friday.
The school overall is good. The work is definitely not easy. Some instructors are better than others, as with any school. I have taken exception with two with respect to inconsistent grading and lack of feedback.
The administration is responsive and overall satisfactory. For me, the school works because I want the Phd title and I want to teach adjunct now and FT at a community college later on. If your aspirations and situation are similar to mine, then NCU might be good for you.
Good luck!

PhD in BusinessI only enrolled in one course in the PhD program and never heard from an instructor. It was very difficult getting the administration to follow up with me. The technology did not work and I complained that the school used deception in their promotion. They would not refund my money or show any concerned for my issues. They intentionally did not respond to me. At the time I considered NCU a fly by night operation and ran as fast as possible away from this organization and wrote this experience and as a loss. There are many issues that I will not draw out here.
Overall, I can see that there are more favorable ratings on this site for NCU then unfavorable ones. It is obvious that some students do believe that they are getting value for their money and at least for them, this is the best program. However, candidate searching for a doctorate program should go beyond just student satisfaction ratings of a school. That is only one indicator. What do you what to do with your degree? If full time teaching beyond the community college level is your main goal, then you should seriously consider another program and meet with deans and faculty members from some of the schools you would most likely teach for to discuss your career options. Do not overlook this. You can avoid an economic and career disaster.
Here are some simple tips for selecting a PhD in business program. If you are looking for a PhD and plan to teach business in academia, you should contact the types of schools that you would like to teach at. They will tell you which programs they will accept. Most business schools will only employ candidates for tenure positions from an AACSB programs and or schools that have a high-level full time research faculty, not part time adjunct faculty. So be very careful before you invest your time in a PhD in business program.
NCU may be able to point to a few successful candidates that have successful publication records but these students or graduates may have been successful before the program or in spite of the program. So you may want to see which schools has a greater number of full time research faculty, their publication record and turnover of faculty experience. Accreditation should be only a minimum standard. You should also interview students who dropped out and or where not successful in the program to get a more balanced perspective then just the school.
Not all PhD in business programs are viewed the same just because they have an accreditation seal. There will be a problem for candidates who have completed the program before any credible changes take place.
For many who just want to teach on the side, a community college or use the PhD credential at your job, this may be the place for you. Hopefully, the new equity partners will clean up many of the serious problems cited on the Web. Perhaps a merger or name change is in order. Then maybe you may not to have to worry about listing

Great phD Experience so farThe staff at NCU was awesome during the enrollment and registration process. I am thoroughly enjoying the coursework, which is very rigorous. I am halfway into my first class and I am 100% happy with the program thus far. My mentor has been extremely helpful and is quite knowledgeable. I look forward to completing the rest of my phD.

NCU no moreThis school is a waste of your time and money. If you want to do Doctorate degree, seek for a well established state University not one with 100% online. What do you plan to do with your PhD or DBA after graduated? Teaching? too bad, NCU PhD graduate is not up to the standard to teach in other state universities. But you can try your luck with NCU. May be, to use that Online Phd degree to get an executive position? Unfortunately, most executive position do not require PhD degree. Even if a company is looking for a PhD candidate to fill a position, it wouldn't be NCU.
From personal experience, the homework turnaround is more than 24 hours. Some courses simply lack of students where the lecture do not bother to do anything. I have been in a DBA course with only 3 students, 2 dropped and I was the only one left. Requesting more information on assignment will get response 2 days later and only couple days left to finish up a 20 pages paper with strict guidelines. This school has dropped the writting assistance in the middle of my program. I have to pay local writting professional for editing for couple of my courses. Those costs added up fast!
Also, just wait till you want to get out of the school, you will be charged with all kind of fees. Withdrawing from NCU will be more expensive than registering.
NCU has one advantage I must admit. They have very good online research library. But hey, you pay big money for it and expecting to solely use it for the rest of the program. Most professors have unknown degree to teach a class. English major is teaching OB???? I am expecting to learn real Organization Behavior from the professor not from textbook. I don't need to pay someone to tell me what to read. I am an executive and what I need is real world example. I have 0 discussion in my OB course. Just read the chapters and write papers every week to get through.
Be real, NCU is not a university, it is a company there to make profit !

NCU is an excellent universityThe technology and the instructional support at NCU are excellent. I have two master's degrees from traditional brick and mortar universities, so I can accurately evaluate the quality of NCU. My experience at NCU has been outstanding. The academic rigor is equal to any other program that I've been associated with, and I'm proud of my association with NCU. It's a wonderful university.

Northcentral UniversityI have completed my Ed.D and got a lot out of the experience at NCU. I have an MBA and am a CPA. I was ABD at Lehigh University after my dissertation chair took ill and retired. The relationship between his replacement and me did not work out. On the other hand Dr. Aaron Givan was my chair at NCU and I found he represents exactly what is needed in a dissertation chair. He kept me going when I was frustrated with others at NCU and he gudied me the whole way. I highly recommend Dr. Givan and the NCU experience.

Dissertation processI see a few negative complaints regarding the dissertation process. I suggest you speak to those who got Ph.D.s at traditional state universities: they have the same complaints. A Ph.D. is SUPPOSED to be gruelling. The dissertation process is the heart of that. The classes are just prepping you for dissertation. And there are PLENTY of people leaving state universities as A.B.D. and never completing the dissertation. So what you describe at NCU is typical. Ph.D. dissertations are demanding, take time, sometimes one has to start over. I met a physics grad student at the University of Oklahoma who had been working on his dissertation for four years!!! So compare NCU to state universities...

Air Force John Discusses NCU!For reasons unspoken here, I considered myself extremely experienced in researching the credentials of universities and taking note of superb, excellent customer service. Since I have dealt with NCU and enrolled into their Ph.D. Psychology program, I have to say that it has been the best experience to date! The staff are knowledgable and quick turn every question I have had about my degree plan. Trust me when I say that if you are looking for a solid university who is regionally accredited and cannot afford to attend time consuming residencies like so many other online institutions require, then NCU is the place for you! Take advantage of the great programs at NCU with their monthly start ups and outstanding staff, you will not regret it!

NCU ED.D in Curriculum & InstructionI am in the dissertation process of my Ed.D at NCU. I am also a NBCT. Had I not gone through the writing process of National Boards, I would not have been able to handle the rigor of the program. So far, it has taken 3 years. I, too, do not understand the person who is critical of NCU. The format is rigorous, exciting & worthwhile. I recommend it to all but be prepared to work your tail off!!

Northcentral UniversityCompleting your dissertation is no picnic-anywhere! Perhaps more so at a distance learning program as you have to provide everything yourself! Concept, apparatus, subjects, proposal to IRB etc. It took me two years after completing my course requirements with numerous submissions and revisions. Yet it is an unique opportunity to focus your interests and pursue them. NCU will afford you as much support as possible but you must suffer the process. Earning your Ph.D. is a difficult and demanding undertaking not recommended for those who are satisfied with getting through their courses. If you decide to go the NCU distance learner route be prepared to surmount many hurdles but it will enhance your self-efficacy more than anything else I can think of. All the best.

so far, so goodI have completed four classes towards an Ed.D.
So far the mentors have been either good or great.
The material is good, it is hard to keep fresh with Technology/Education texts.
The overall value is very good.
You must be self motivated. I also have many years in my field so I am interested in more "research" style learning than requiring hand holding while learning the basics of a subject. NCU works for me.

ConfusedI'm confused on some of the reviews. I just checked the Dissertation Center at NCU. Thirty-nine learners have graduated with doctorate degrees since June 2008. All had to complete a dissertation. I'm in the process of getting final approval on mine, and do agree it is a tough process, and looking back I'm not sure if I would do it again. Nonetheless, it is doable and there is no brick wall that I can see. I'll comment back in a few months to confirm, or verify previous writings on this discussion board.

I graduated with a doctorate from Northcentral UCompleting a dissertation at Northcentral University is the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. In retrospect, if I could do it all over again, I would NOT pursue a doctorate because it’s simply too hard and it’s too much work. Yes, I now have a regionally accredited doctoral degree.
A dissertation is what separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls). The attrition rate at B&M doctoral programs ranges from 50 to 70% (once students get to the dissertation) and I speculate that NCU has a similar attrition rate at the dissertation. No matter where you go, the dissertation process is unequivocally brutal.
The coursework that leads up to the dissertation is doable, but the dissertation is a nightmare. A monkey can do “coursework,” but few people can complete a dissertation. It’s a very painful and heartbreaking process for some people when they find that they cannot get passed the dissertation brick wall.
My recommendation: if you get a chance to do a dissertation, DON’T!!!

No Bad ReviewsUnfortunately, very few accurate reviews reflecting objective experience are ever posted here. I doubt that this one will make it, either. Thus, I will make it brief. No one completing the Phy PhD program within the last 6 months of 2008 will give a faverable assessment of this school, namely because no one will be allowed to graduate. All dissertations are being withheld. I wish this truth could make it to those with interest. Getting through the NCU courses isn't that difficult. Getting through the dissertation process is impossible. Don't sign up, it's a scam

BEWARE! No one Gets Passed DissertationIf I had been writing this review about a month ago, I would have reiterated all the positive, sunshine comments I see posted. Unfortunately, NCU has really CHANGED.
I finally arrived at my first dissertation class. I've been enrolled for over a month, just waiting for approval. The process was straightforward, at first: the dissertation was approved by all committee members. The disastrous shuffling around of staff, however, caused my dissertation to sit for about 20 days before it was assigned to a Reviewer. After getting relatively quick approval from all committee members, my Reviewer, basically told me, in no uncertain terms, to start my dissertation over. I will have to create 7 new instruments do pilot tests and change all my hypotheses and add several more. In general terms she has made it impossible to get my dissertation approved. Her recommendations would take years to complete. I heard from my committee Chair that the NCU Reviewers are now stopping approval on all dissertations. My Concept Paper was approved. It supposedly had comments as to how I was supposed to make changes; however, I did not receive the paper due to technical "gliches" in the system (or at least that is what I was told).
I'm wondering if anyone else is having difficulties getting their dissertation approved. I believe with the entire shake up at NCU, they will not be approving many dissertations in the future. They will, however, take your encourage you and guide you down the rosy path until they get all your money. I'm hoping to get a class action law suit started. Yes, if you have already graduated or have yet to get to your research classes, you probably think the world of NCU. But I'd like to see someone who has graduated within the last week to give a positive review. DO NOT ENROLL, it will take five years, but you will definitely be sorry!!!!!

DBA in Advanced AccountingExcellent program, an inexpensive alternative to others schools that offer similar programs that requires inflexible requirements. NCU is not for everyone, you really have to be self motivated to be able to move forward. Hence, if you don't posses this drive this school is not for you.

NCU RigorI graduated with a B.Sc. and M.A. from traditional B&M universities. I have found that the rigor required to succeed at NCU is at least as difficult if not more so. Recently, after four years of rigorous study, I’ve earned doctoral candidacy status at NCU, the ABD stage in my journey. My dissertation committee members all teach at very reputable universities across the country, in addition to teaching at NCU, and one is also a director with the APA. They require no less of me than one of their students completing a dissertation from their B&M school. Change seems more difficult for some people, nonetheless however, over-time, fewer and fewer people will leave their home to attend school. Regionally accredited universities, such as NCU, are at the forefront of this imminent change.

NCU is outstandingI have to say...it was affirming to see that onlinedegreereviews.com rated NCU in the top 5 (student choice) as best accredited on-line educational organizations. As a HS principal and in the field of education for more than 18 years, I truly did not expect an on-line university to meet my expectations as they have in the Ed.D. program. The materials, expectations/standards for assignments, pacing, and mentoring are equally outstanding. I've read a few vicious, paranoid remarks about NCU (and other) on-line programs, but I have to question the student-sources. The website is extremely organized, clear, and outlines expectations for each course.

Positive ExperienceI have been very pleased with my experience at NCU. I am a busy higher ed administrator in a rural area and the structure of the classes at NCU meet my needs. All of my mentors have been helpful and return e-mails quickly. I can honestly say that I have learned more from this educational experience than any of the others at traditional brick and mortar schools.

A look at NCUI've found NCU to be like other colleges. The same problems you encounter at other schools you experience at NCU except most of the contact is either online or through phone calls. Just as in other schools you encounter professors whom you think are not too good. However, you also encounter exceptional professors to. In many ways, the support staff is more helpful than in non-cyber colleges. People respond quickly and kindly to requests and don't give you an 'attitude' if you ask for help. NCU is fully accredited.

You must be a Thinker!NCU has been a great place for me. I have plenty of education at "bricks and mortar institutions," and rate this education as the best in my life. I am completing a Business PhD after retiring from a successful 20 year career in business. One my think that I knew everything needed for the business world based on my experience.
Not true. This education forces you to think! There is plenty of cross interaction with other learners and professors. Most professors are well credentialed in the business or education fields in their own rights. I currently interact with higher education administration in a political capacity, and am shocked at their comparative skills against those I have met online at NCU. This is an excellent education community that should not be overlooked or undercut.
The criticism that I have heard is mainly unfounded. NCU requires you to think, if you need to be coddled go somewhere else. But, if you like to think, NCU will greatly add to your status as a scholar, professional capacities, and to your merit in the business world. I would hire any NCU business grad.

NCU - PhD Bus AdminCurrently in the research dissertation proposal phase, and have been an NCU Learner since 9/2003. I have found the growth of the University to be sure and steady. My experience is that this is a premier online distance learning University. I read that some are unhappy, but I can tell anyone that my skills have grown while I have been pursuing my PhD at this University. This is a fine University, and I heartily endorse it to anyone seeking an advanced degree, or even an undergraduate degree.

Great for some, not for othersNCU has a tremendous upside if you're very self-directed and need/prefer to work at your own pace. NCU's model is truly individualized learning, with no group projects, no live meetings, no synchronous sessions. Learners can work at their own pace. The pay-as-you-go format is also much easier on the wallet than places like Walden or Capella.
To get the most out of NCU, however, you can't be a wallflower. You'll need to ask questions, be a little assertive if you don't get answers right away and generally speak up when/if problems occur. I'm halfway through the the program and have had very few problems. Those I have had were taken care of quickly and easily.

LicensureI did a practicum through NCU to full a requirement for state certification in Substance Abuse Counseling. I'm considering doctoral work. Has anyone successfully licensed with a degree from NCU?

NCU is OK and improving (hopefully)NCU is unique in its style. It is truly 100% online. Its main advantage is flexibility in completing courses for busy full-time working professionals. It is also one of the affordable universities. Like in all other universities, every mentor is different. Some are responsive and some are not. Some read the assignments closely, some do not, but generally course work effort is reflected in grades. They recently started to be more interactive with students and taking their inputs for improvements. I am hopeful that it will improve from its present position.

Mixed ReviewAn audit of all processes and programs related to the Ph.D. program in Psychology will show:
(1) Weaknesses in the mentors backgrounds, knowledge, experience, and teaching capabilities.
(2) Direct incompatibility regarding stated course requirements at NCU, the course fundamentals, core learning goals, and what is acceptable as a standard in the academic arena. The course outlines need to be updated and consistent. I have two graduate degrees, one of which is from a top ivy league school. What is required for course completion should match course description. In most cases it does not.
(3) Mentor communication is very limited, even when it is requested or solicited.
(4) Stay away from the major discussion areas as they contain so much erroneous (and silly) information.
(5) The course work is not rigorous (very simple) and most points are lost or gained on APA style mistakes. APA style is important but quality content ranks higher in the real world. More challenges need to be incorporated. Most courses can be finished in six weeks, if feedback is timely(6) Clinical courses need more solid and up to date clinical training such as neuropsychology.
This is what I have found so far. I hope this review is helpful and productive.

My experience at NCUI just finished my studies at NCU. I was in the doctoral program in education. I have to say that when I started with Dr. Hollywood, the experience was absolutely great. After three years, Dr. H. was gone. I spoke with her after her termination and she told me the new president told her the school was going in a different direction. Well, I am one to give everything a chance, but the new direction was one of chaos and lack of support. Thank god I was almost finished, because quite honestly if I was just starting, I would have gotten the heck out of there. I wouldn't recommend the university to anyone, and I had recommended it to no less than 5 friends. Now I heard that they only got 3 years of reaffirmation, which I understand in the world of accreditation is not good. Of course, it is better than probation, but not a sign of confidence. Luckily I am out with an accreditated degree. The place it is now isn't the place it was, and that is a shame. We had a honor society in the school, which I understand there is no support for any longer. The new provost has completely turned the place upside down. I am an Ed.D. and he has been quoted as saying that Ed.D. are inferior to Ph.D's. Inferior? No just different in focus. There are no faculty left. Now they use all adjuncts. The service with the dissertation has become a nightmare. My friends who are in dissertation are now waiting weeks and weeks for feedback and no one seems to know who is on first or second base.
I would not recommend NCU, and I hate saying that given I am now an alum.

NCU and the future of online degreesI've read a lot of these reviews about NCU. Many are true and many are false, but perception is reality in the eyes of the beholder.
Basically, NCU is an online correspondence school:
- NCU gives the student the assignment
- the student does it
- the student turns it in for grading
- at the end, a grade is given
- and, hopefully, a degree is obtained.
There are no lectures (like at a Brick & Morter University) and there is no student interaction. The only interaction I got from mentors was after I completed an assignment -- then the mentor would provide constructive criticism, along with a grade. If I needed help, then I found answers on my own i.e. there is no one to babysit you or to hold your hand. Once I got to the dissertation phase, then I talked to the mentor via telephone to get a basic idea of what his expectations were.
I have a MA from a traditional Brick & Morter school, so I have a basis of comparison from which to compare NCU. I learned more knowledge at NCU, but I made more "community connections" at my Brick & Morter school. Which is more advantageous? I'm not sure, but either way: both schools will provide a regionally accredited degree.
Many NCU students seem to be complaining that NCU is nothing more than a correspondence school because NCU simply provides the assignments and the student completes them with little to no supervision. The only way around this dilemma is to enroll in a traditional Brick and Morter university where there is plenty of instructor-student interaction, as well as student-student interaction. Some people need this kind of interaction, while others don't need it at all to obtain a degree. I also took a class at the University of Phoenix online and, frankly, I didn't get anything out of the "group projects;" nor did I get anything out of the "group postings" where we had to make a "quality post" for others to read. It was silly. NCU bypasses that and allows students to work on their own, which I prefer; but conversely, I really enjoyed the interaction that I got while obtaining a MA degree at a Brick & Morter school.
The 21st Century is the "information age" and all of these online schools are unfolding before our very eyes. Is it the wave of the future? Time will tell. It's probably going to be contingent on:
1. the students' perceived value of the degrees
2. the community's perceived value of the degrees
3. the long-term sustained profitability of online institutions
4. the regional accreditors
My .02

NCUExcellent school. I am currently enrolled in their Ph.D. program and am very happy with the school. Classes are not easy but the mentors are very helpful.
Be prepared to work. If you need your hand held and you cannot figure things out on your own, then maybe NCU is not for you.
Overall I am pleased.

NCU's marketing doesn't match it's deliveryI was academically dismissed from Northcentral University in January. The primary cause of my failure as an NCU student was the complete lack of mentor-student interaction. Even when I responded that I was having difficulty during the first research class, the mentor never responded until he posted an unsatisfactory grade.
Please read the complete story at www.ncublogs.com.
All NCU students that have experienced the lack of mentorship during their classes should leave their contact information in the comments (the comments are moderated before display, I will not publish personal info). A single person such as myself cannot change NCU. Perhaps as a group, our collective voices can get the attention of NCU or the Arizona Attorney General or the FTC. NCU is not delivering on their marketing promises.

NCU- an honest reviewNorthcentral university AACSB & regionally accredited. A quality education for people who are self starters! I'm a PhD student. The educational rigor received at NCU has expanded my knowledge more than ground education ever did. The reason for this is I make the schedule so I am "awake" and "focused".
You must be self-directed and internally motivated to learn. Highly organized comes to mind too. You have to be willing to pick up the phone and call your mentors and facilitators when you need something. Most call back within 24-48 hours and I have taken 18 courses all with different facilitators. But, with anything there are better facilitators than others-JUST LIKE IN TRADITIONAL SCHOOL!
BOTTOM LINE: The school is great & they have some of the best facilitators and mentors. In all things, we all relate differently to people. Sometimes we don't relate to how someone explains something to us at all. So, you must take the initiative and find someone who can explain it to you!
I went to University of Phoenix for my MBA and did not enjoy the experience. I learned a lot but, the school was too structured. Lots of busy work. Maybe that is better for some people.
Many can attest that there is nothing worse than waking up for an 8am class at a traditional school after working until 4am because it's the only time the school offers it that semester! Half asleep makes your grade suffer but you do it because if you don't you will be in school on a 6 year or 7 year plan.
Some bloggers on this site have blown my mind! Why are you stating that purposeful over inflation of their school ratings because they question the "worth." Online education continues to grow because professionals cannot go back to the "struggling student status" and need the education for promotion and wage increase. Anyone who "questions the education worth" should really go to brick and mortar schools. Why waste your time and money for convenience and the ability to keep your job instead of becoming a poor student again? Better yet, why over inflate? Just be honest, why aide hurting others if you believe your education was not good enough? People blow my mind. It is no wonder we have so many problems in this country!
If you have interest on how you can find other legit online schools check out www.myspace.com/kierstin6

Very Very Little communication. I don't recommend.I've been a student for about 3mos, and the exchange with the professor (aka mentor) is very limited. I was led to believe one could at least call & clarify questions. you cannot.
all communication has to be via a very antiquated web interface that is available on the Univ's website.
i constantly felt like my hands were tied & that i was never getting a single ounce of value from my course. my spouse, signs up for a course with a California online university & there is direct participation from the professor, the students, etc. The professor at that univ, has comments & guidance on a daily or at least weekly basis. There is so much interaction there.
After seeing that, I'm strongly considering asking for my payment back. But I think I have lost the $1500 that I put it. I was referred to NCU by a friend, but I would strongly recommend you consider alternatives.

Not any moreA year ago I would have given a rating of 9! There have been lots of changes at NCU. The person who made the School of Education so great was riffed in December-I think about 20 full time faculty were fired. They closed down the writing program and stopped work on the doc research center. Lots of high quality, terminally degreed folks just terminated -why? Why mess with something that was so great. Now the internal blogs are full of complaints from business, psychology and education students who aren't getting the service they had just a couple of months ago. Sounds like the place is in trouble and some really bad decisions are being made. Let's hope it isn't all about money and making the person who owns it just richer. I cannot get any help when I call. My advisor told me her phone was being tapped and to write me on her personal account! Anyway, just be careful if you are thinking about enrolling. I am almost finished with my dissertation and am glad to be getting out while they are still accredited.

Happy Student!!!!!!Northcentral University is a great schooland a terrific value. It is both regionally accredited and accredited by the ACBSP. The school is currently going through the re-accreditation process, but this is a standard procedure to retain accreditation. I am currently enrolled in the MBA program and I love it! This is not a school for someone that needs their hand held every step of the way. There is support from the staff but students must be proactive and take ownership of their own education. There is good and bad everywhere. My husband is currently attending University of Phoenix (both on-line and classroom)and he has had problems from the academic advisor all the way to the on-line system having missing information. Although it is hard watching his struggles; it makes me appreciate NCU all the more. This is your education and your future don't settle for anything less than what you know you deserve. Do your research, aks questions and then ask more questions. No matter where you end up going to school make the most of it.

Great for Self-Directed Learners!I'm a doctoral student at Northcentral University and the online learning mentoring approach has worked well for me. Most of the mentors I've worked with have responded within a day to my questions and assignments. Their feedback was helpful and encouraging. The course work and assignments push you to develop and use higher order thinking skills. I've been surprised at how much I've learned in the program. I recommend NCU to any student who is mature, self-directed, and motivated to earn a degree.

Good experienceI am in my 5th course through Northcentral University, Prescott AZ, in the PhD Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy Concentration. I am very satisfied with this program, and have found that the books and research articles have been informative and provided useful information with my client population. Out of 5 instructors, I have had only one that I had significant difficulty reaching through email, three who were accessible and provided sound feedback regarding assignments, and one instructor who I consider one of the most engaged and motivating instructor I have ever had. This instructor's feedback on assignments has truly helped me be a more accomplished writer. My academic advisor promptly emailed me or called me, and I have had numerous phone calls with library staff to help walk me through a problem finding articles. While my undergraduate and graduate degrees were from B&M schools, most nobably Wake Forest University, I believe that I am the most important part of my education,and have found Northcentral willing to help me reach my academic goals.
Northcentral U.'s regional accreditation is also a major reason I chose them. They are not AAMFT accredited, which is the accrediting body of my profession. If I were not already licensed in my field, this would have hindered me from attending, but being licensed, my degree will have merit because it is from a regionally accredited university.
I recommend Northcentral without reservation.

This is a VERY GOOD school!I have an MBA from a brick and mortar school. I also could have chosen to get my PhD from it with less cost and CERTAINLY LESS EFFORT. I chose NCU because of the work required, I wanted VALUE for my dollar. I have profited GREATLY from what I have learned. Those that criticize the program are possibly not putting forth enough effort on their own. I find the large number of texts and the quantity of writing to be very helpful in pushing me to success. I am successful in business, and the courses have helped me even further in that regard. I would recommend NCU to anyone.

Good experienceFor a working adult learner, this school is ideal. Of course you will work more independently than at most b&m schools. However, I have an MS and an MA from b&m schools and found that at the graduate level, you are expected to be (and should be) able to guide and design your own learning experience when attending classes in person.
The dissertation process is both lengthy and rigid and I know that my product will be able to stand up to most (if not all) of those created at b&m schools (and I've read enough dissertations at this point to know of what I speak).

Poor Correspondence SchoolI have taken four courses. I have a BS, MS, MBA, and my Doctorate is close to complete. You need to understand that this is NOT an online school. I completed my MBA at another online school. It is a correspondence school where the only difference is that items are exchanged virtually instead of through the US Mail. You will basically work completely on your own with no lectures, no discussion, no group work, no tests, and just hand in papers at your own pace. Really, it is a joke. I would never tell someone to use their own money for this. If your company will pay and you want to do this just for fun, not advancement, etc. - it is ccol - otherwise you are wasting your time.

doctoral candidateI am working on a second doctorate at NCU. Interaction with mentors is minimal. Mentor expertise is variable, which is no different than what one encounters in the brick and mortar environment. University documents, handbooks, templates, teleconferences and PowerPoint presentations are great sources of information. Overall, a sound learning experience. And, to dispell the darkness, NCU is a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.

Vested InterestI have just started my degree program - so I have little VESTED INTEREST in giving this university an inflated rating (In other words, I haven't gotten half way through my degreee program and have double posted high marks because I'm concerned what my degree will be worth 2 years from now). The good: it's cheap, easy to get in, never have to leave your house. The bad: you do all the work with little to no support, the academic advisors are nice until they get your tuition, and the "mentors" I have come in contact with treat you like an elementary school student. The argument that people who have trouble at NCU aren't cut out to be "self-directed learners" is interesting. If NCU interprets self-directed as "we don't have to give you any academic guidance" then they should delete the propaganda from their website which states otherwise and start calling the "mentors" "hired part time grade-givers." Furthermore, the version of self-directed they seem to be using is more similar to the "write a book report on..." assignments that we all did in third grade - and they require a lot of them! From my experience my guess is that the only reason they are still around is that no other institution has come along which offers the same variety of degree programs at such a low cost.

Very Limited Info -- Not Recommended.I have taken a couple courses at NCU.edu (NorthCentral University, Arizona)
From my experience, this is a quick review.
There is very little to almost no interaction with the mentors (aka professors). They only like to communicate via email. You are almost never able to pick up a phone and call someone. This can be especially challenging if you are taking your 1st set of classes and have questions about the format etc.
The advisors also only provide assistance over web content & always ask you to refer to online documentation. This can get very old very quickly, as my perception is people take online courses as they are limited with the time they have, and would like to get responses fairly quickly.
NCU staff & administration constantly push for students (or learners) to use the NCU messaging system. This is very archaic system that only allows sending messages (messaging) between ncu personnel. Also this message system has no interaction to the outside world .. so if you are travelling & get a message from someone, then you cannot respond from any email client -- you have to log into the NCU webpage & respond.
I am finding that NCU online is very much aloof in terms of assisting students with any program or helping them review materials.
If you were able to pick up a text book, and write an exam, to get a grade, and eventually get a degree -- this is what you will experience at NCU.
It will certainly benefit if NCU put's some effort into their learner's online interface. its a very rudimentary system, put together to get a few students. However, now that they have a lot of student's signing up, it would be good to have a lot of interactive tools.
Hope this information helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Thanks,

Answering concernsI would like to respond to concerns about "mentors" and their quality as instructors. In any college/university you will have good and bad instructors. It is the responsibility of the adult student to be an independent learner. This applies if you are sitting in a brick and mortar building....or taking classes by distance. In previous work at traditional schools, I have had classes that I felt were not as beneficial as others. I expect that to be the case at any school. Overall, I have been very satisfied with NCU. I should add that I work at a brick and mortar school. I believe NCU stacks up in every way.

Excellence in Distance LearningYou will be hard-pressed to find a credible university that you can earn a bachelors masters or doctorates at with this kind of quality. NCU allows its students to be anywhere in the world. I live overseas and have been continuing to earn my degree in business administration at NCU. I highly recommend this school as it is not only affordable, but actually creates an environment where you can learn. After attending Illinois State University, I actually like this university better. I am a terrible test taker and my grades would suffer over confusing multiple choice exams at Illinois State. At NCU, my exams are in the form of research papers, allowing me to explain myself. My GPA has gone up considerably and I already have employers lined up for when I graduate this summer. I love this university.

Watch outSo called Mentor did absolutely nothing to "facilitate" my learning. Got a generic "welcome aboard" message at the beginning of class along with a list of papers that I had to write. Zero interaction (other than, here's your grade). You are at the mercy of your mentor, who by the way you don't get to choose. Also, check out the incestuous faculty credentials. My mentor’s replies to my emails (which didn’t answer my questions) included spelling errors and misuse of “big words” – but what do I know, maybe the pace in which assignments are submitted is an “interglacial” part of the learning process.
I will have to say that this instructor was "new" but her incompetence didn't save me from having to fork over the tuition money. At $850 plus books, it was a costly "learning experience"!
You are required to use a special email system for all correspondence, which makes me thankful for Outlook.
The learner portion of the website isn't very intuitive. Eventually I found a site map, which wasn't linked. . .
One of the least expensive degree programs I found.
Interlibrary loan staff person responded quickly to requests.

Preceding QuestionsI am a student nearing the end of my MBA program, and I have been satisfied the whole way. I have three other degrees from bricks and mortars universities (Purdue University and Embry-Riddle) and the rigors of NCU academics are on par.
Just like anything new, there will be plenty of people who don't want to change and/or feel threatened. Remember the old adage "if men were meant to fly, God would have given us wings"? It has been a century now, and I doubt there are many naysayers about that laughable and newfangled idea of flying. Online learning, just like flying, is a new medium for its purpose, and it is just taking off. Some "universities" will do it wrong (which is evidence for the naysayers), but many will do it right. Has train travel gone away because of the airplane? Will bricks and mortars learning go away because of the rise of online learning. I for one, believe that for every "changeaphobe's" steadfast view, it never turns out like they feared.
Okay, onto the questions about accreditation and the apparent past bankruptcy of the owner. The accreditation issue is not much of an issue at all. Regionally, NCU is accredited in the same organization as Arizona State, University of Arizona, and my alma maters Purdue University and Embry-Riddle. Additionally, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes NCU -- (http://www.chea.org/search/actionInst.asp?CheaID=699) and (http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinecourses/a/MBAaccredit.htm) and (http://www.acbsp.org/index.php?module=sthtml&op=load&sid=s1_001).
As for the owner's past bankruptcy, is not bankruptcy a common risk for entreprenuers? A bankruptcy does not a failure make. What I care about as a consumer -- not a student, a consumer -- is that the product I am buying is proven and accepted. The NCU product is exactly that, proven and accepted.
To those people who have their finger on the NCU tuition trigger, put your worries aside. There will always be naysayers out there for any decision you make. Nevermind those armchair quarterbacks. If you've done the research, then YOU have more information than the quarterbacks could ever have, especially those who tried but failed and are disgruntled.
Remember, this is a business decision for you. Don't treat it like you're in highschool trying to decide which university to go to. Treat it like an investment with a specific anticipated return, even if purely intrinsic (the joy of knowledge for example).
In closing, just remember that the diploma mill threat is not indigenous to the online realm, it just seems like that because it is an easier market to enter than it was 10 years ago. Just go to the links I posted and that should be all the proof you need, for NCU or any other school you are investigating.
Good luck!
Jim

Question about accreditationSo far my experience has been good. Good mentors overall, positive experience with advising. My concern is about the accreditation. I have been checking the accrediting web site for NCU and see that they have issues with conflict of interest, ownership, and they are getting ready for reaccrediting. Given the history of the owner, the bankruptcies I found on google, being turned down for federal aid, etc. anyone who can provide feedback regarding chances of getting accredited again would be helpful. Otherwise, I am pulling out before I get too many credits into the process.

Overall Very Good InstitutionI am in the process of finishing my eleventh and final master’s course at NCU. I can honestly say that it has been a rigorous process. JA, I am sorry to hear that you feel you have wasted your money on that course, but you may have had a bad professor or simply did not try hard enough in the course. It is very easy to skip much of the reading and slack off on your assignments. However, you will realize that you are not getting away with it once you have to assimilate the knowledge that you should have learned into coherent research papers. This is the reason that some individuals are simply not meant to take online courses; you have to have self-motivation since you do not have a professor force-feeding you material for two hours each day. I can honestly say that I am learning more now that I do my own research on my own time than back when I was attending different brick-and-mortar institutes and zoning out in class. As far as what you said about the academic advisors not returning emails fast enough; I sent an email to my academic advisor (Susan Lohn) at 1532 yesterday and I was reading her reply at 1541. I sent my next reply at 1543 and she replied at 1645. I pretty much always get a reply within an hour or two of sending a question. Unless you expect an instant response, I consider that to be pretty quick. To each their own, and I cannot understand what your exact experience has been. However, mine has been a great one, as has the majority of the learners I have heard from.
V/R
Richard

Negative reviews??I am absolutely flabbergasted by the (very few) negative responses on this board. Only one actually gave ideas on how to improve, the others just ranted and raved like spoiled children who didn't get their way on this item or that item.
NCU has been a blessing in my educational journey. I have a management Masters from another online school that is also a B&M school. That particular school (Embry-Riddle) has one of the top engineering programs in the nation and specifically partnered up with NCU to create a bridge program for doctoral learners and the creation of other Masters programs. I highly doubt a regionally accredited and well respected school such as Embry-Riddle would pick NCU if it did not have the utmost of respect for NCU's programs and efficiencies.
And by the way, for the individual who referred to the "regional accreditation" of NCU, your sarcasm is completely misplaced and unwarranted. NCU has the exact same accreditation of Arizona's state school system, Embry-Riddle, my undergrad alma mater (Purdue University), and many many others.
NCU is about working professionals trying to improve their careers and/or gain knowledge for more insight into their own profession. There is no hand holding. This is the real world kiddies, and just like the real world, you are assigned the work and told when to have it done. You can always ask for advice from those who know more (NCU mentors), but the direction you take to achieve the goal is yours and yours alone. If you can't take the idea of setting your own direction, then you really have no business being at NCU or any advanced university program for that matter.
Jim

NCU is a Quality Educational ExperienceNorthcentral is a quality educational experience. The courses are engaging with supportive instructors (mentors). There is a community feeling at the school. I'm working on an EdD and learning far more than I ever imagined I would. It's a great journey!

Happy studentI have attended North Central University (NCU) since Jan 2005 and have found that the staff and mentors are there to support the students. I was nervous at first about online education, but have been very happy with my experience so far at NCU. I have developed better time management skills and feel that I more self reliant. I would recommend NCU to anyone that works full time and wishes to continue their education. It is not an easy path, but very worth while.

Business Administration PhDI have been extremely pleased with NCU & the coursework I have completed toward a PhD in Business Admin - Mgt. Engr & Tech. I am a past Univ. of Phoenix (not a good experience for me) DMO candidate & Univ. of La Verne DPA candidate (great but expensive program). In virtually every area (Teaching acumen, Student support, Level of intellectual exchange, Tuition costs, etc.), NCU presents the best program there is today for an On-line PhD Degree Program. I hope to complete this program by Winter '08 to Spring '09 & plan to both consult & teach with a little writing & a Fulbright Scholarship stint thrown in for good measure!

Great school - Great EducationI have completed 3 degrees from B&M schools, including an MBA. NCU's curriculum is indeed rigorous and appropriate. In my experience at NCU, nothing less than scholarly writing is acceptable. Reading, researching, reflecting, writing, and discussing (asynchronously) keep me very busy for each course. I have been in the PhD Education program since January 2007 and am learning a great deal. My mentors have been timely and thorough in their responses. My advisor has been very helpful in a situation where I had a difficult mentor (every school has some difficult faculty). Overall, I know I am getting a quality education! I strongly encourage anyone seeking an accredited college education to consider NCU.

An outstanding program for working adultsI shopped around at several major brick and mortar universities and all of them would have forced me to quit my job and become a full time student with nearly no income to support my family. I then looked at the various on-line universities, and found several of them to be very attractive, but none of them offered the accreditation and value that NCU offered.
As a retiremed military veteran, NCU offered an excellent tuition rate, and once I began my DBA program, discovered that the education process was significantly better than my expectations. I have taken a few computer based course offered by the Government, and nearly all of them left a lot to be desired, which I feared would also be the case at NCU or any other on-line university.
I was pleasantly surprised at the smooth function of NCU's online system, the positive feedback from instructors for work submitted, and the vibrant forums to communicate with instructors and other students at NCU.
I already feel more connected with my classmates at NCU than I did at any of the more traditional universities I have attended, as I am conversing with students from all areas of specialization and not just my immediate classmates. I have had in depth discussions with fellow student in Psychology, Education and other Business specializations, which never would have occured in my previous education programs.
I heartily recommend NCU as a choice for pursuing a graduate program. One word of advice, it is not an easy program either, as you will spend a significant amount of time on each class. It is possible to move quickly through the program, but it will demand much of your time and efforts to do so.
I have only had one off weekend in last six months, and I do not expect many more for the remainder of my program. It is a price I am willing to pay, but that may not be so in your case. If not, then look elsewhere for your program, as this one will demand such an effort.

NCUI have been attending NCU since 1/04 and have found the program to be very satisfying. The instructors require you to work hard and present material in a way that builds on the assignments. In my hundreds of interactions I have found the the instructors to be professional and supportive. I highly recommend this university to any student wanting to improve their education. I have used the education at Northcentral University to improve my professional standing in the community.

Educational SatisfactionI am a PhD learner (Industrial/Organizational Psychology) in the Business Administration program and I absolutely love it. I switched from Capella to NCU last year and only wished I had done it so much earlier. I would recommend NCU to anyone.

Dissertation support services in School of businesI just found this blog and wanted to offer some personal insight from personal experience. I am working on my Business PHD at Northcentral. I have a co worker working on her PHD at a well known California state university. We are both in the proposal writing stage. We exchange ideas/swap scare stories as all doctoral students do. I submitted my initial proposal and got recommendations back from my Mentor. My coworker wanted to see areas that I needed to hone prior to resubmitting for the next review. She took the feedback that I had gotten and reviewed her own materials. she has been trying to get an appointment with her 'assigned' Chair for 2 months. She proudly shared that if she gets through her own doctoral program it will be because of what I have taught her from my NCU learnings/feedback. Is my proposal good yet? No. Does that please me? No. I'm exhausted but I know when I finish, I'll have a product that I will be proud and will publish well. As I see typos/methodology flaws in studies from other schools, I just smile knowing the officials at BTM will not let this happen to me. The doc program at Northcentral is hard but I suspect it is easier than many other schools because of the support systems they provide. While my coworker has waited 2 months to get feedback from her Chair, I got feedback within 2 days (they have to do it in 14 days tho). The School of Business also offers 'chat with the reviewer' teleconferences each month that I (and now my coworker) participate. NCU is all about student support, it hard but they make themselves available.

PhD Program-PsychologyI am currently attending NCU in the PhD program-psychology and I must admit it has been a wonderful experience--I am really enjoying the distance learning expereince with NCU. The courses are difficult, however, you do learn and the mentors are great!

So far so goodI enrolled in the PhD program (Business Administration with Marketing Specialization) last week and am scheduled to start in October. Although I haven't started the program as of yet, I have done quite a bit of research on other Online PhD programs and have found that NCU is the ONLY Online college that offers PhD degrees with a Marketing Emphasis. The level of support I received by my Enrollment Counselor and Academic Adviser was good...no complaints. I am currently earning my MBA at University of Phoenix (Awesome school) and NCU is letting me start on my Specialization courses first so I can transfer my MBA courses in (from UoP) next year. University of Phoenix is a great college too (I earned my BA degree from the ground campus in my area and am currently doing the Masters program online). Anyhow, I start my first PhD course with NCU in October, so I will write back again and let you know how it goes.

MBA Public AdministrationI am currently enrolled in my fourth class at NCU and will start my fifth course in September. I am pursuing a MBA degree with a concentration on Public Administration. I have been totally satisfied with my studies. The course are a bit arduous at times and can require a lot of research and writing, but this challenge you to form an opinion and establish an ideology, which results in learning!
My only problem to date is a very small one; every time you complete a course you get a grade report. This grade report I guess helps students who need proof of studies to be reimbursed by their employee. I do not fall in that category, but my grade report has me affiliated with the US Navy. I am an ex-Navy guy, but have no affiliation and do not get any type of tuition assistance. I sent several e-mails to my advisor and the affiliation still has not been removed. It is not a big deal, but it should be a problem that is easily fixed.
I would recommend NCU to anyone who is looking to advance themselves through gaining more knowledge. The workload is heavy at times and can take up a lot of your free time, however NCU‘s degree is worth it. I look forward to my future classes and hope to advance my educational goals even further!
Ray Vampran

Refund ProblemsI planned to take two courses as a graduate student at large purely for licensure purposes - I already have two masters. When I started the first course I was shocked at the number of assignments, papers, etc. that were due each week. I have a 4.0 in my graduate degrees and am not afraid of work, but they clearly seemed excessive, including an assignment to make a videotape - I don't have that kind of equipment!! So, I dropped the two courses, and after two months am still waiting for the $2800 refund!! They keep saying they're in the process but haven't received it yet. I am going to lodge a complaint with the BBB as the next step.

PhD At NCUI am currently working on my PhD at NCU in Business with a specialization in Organizational leadership and I have to say that my experience has been nothing but pleasant. They require alot of work and provide you with excellent feedback on your work. I highly give this school 2 thumbs up for quality education and value. This school is definately the better way to earn your degree.

Mixed reviewsI've taken 3 courses now in my doctoral studies towards my DBA in Management. I must say, in all honesty, that I have very mixed feelings about the school. Other reviewers comment that the staff is frequently unavailable, and I have to agree. When I have questions over an assignment, they frequently go unanswered for days. Also, I find that the mentors are more preoccupied with the format of the research papers rather than the content. I'm critisized at length because, this or that, is not properly formatted and has to be re-submitted, thus wasting a lot of time. This is total rubbish to me. The assignments themselves are often either confusing, or, overwhelming (too much reading and writing). My thoughts going into the program was that this would allow me to be more flexible about family and job. The reality is that it is not. I am having to spend far more time away from job and family to complete some of these inane assignments than I feel comfortable doing. My GPA is not the best (nor the worst), but I feel that all of my assignments were subjectively graded based on no real set of guidelines. The library is a joke. The research material itself is fine but the search engine is horrible (try to re-find an article you found the day before, you'll see what I mean). I think this could be a great school if they hired professional instructors, not the "leading professionals in their respective fields". These leading professionals in their field may be wonderful...in their field. But that doesn't necessarily make them good instructors. Also, fix the damn library search engine.

Northcentral UniversityNorthcentral U. is one of the best univerities in the country. I have 4 degrees (including a Ph.D.) from 3 others famous universities in the US and I think Northcentral is equall (If not better) than most of them.
The amount of work required by Northcentral for a Ph.D. degree is around 25% more than it's required by a traditional university.
The mentors participate actively in onluine discussions and dissertation committee works pretty fast compared with traditional universities.
I am very happy I decided to get the 2nd Ph.D. from this universtity.

Rigor and IntegrityI have attended several campus-based public colleges and universities in Canada and the United States throughout my career. I believe Northcentral University has established a respectable baseline for academic rigor and scholastic integrity as an emerging 21st century online school. I'm enrolled part-time in their Ph.D. in Business Administration (MIS specialization) program while employed as a Vice President of Information Technology at a regional financial institution. This year, the School of Business and Technology Management at Northcentral University achieved programmatic accreditation standing with the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (www.acbsp.org) in addition to its standing as a regionally accredited institution (www.chea.org).
Regards,
Hans J. Hinding, MBA, MBCS

Lack of Support in the program from the mentorsThe idea of having NCU degree seemed to be great, but the problem arise from the lack of mentors support to their learners and the academic advisors. As I started my Ph.D program, They don't tell you anything that direct you to the proper source. You are basically on your own. I have an MBA and I got 30 credits transferred. The main problem is that when you start a Ph.D, One may need a lot of support all along, but the beginning is always hard. I just wanna say that it is extremely hard to even get their support. There is no standard grading system, by which you can pinpoint your grade. It is all up to the mentor and what they decide to do with you, so if the mentor does not clarify what wants you end up losing out, especially if your name sounds foreign like mine. I got an (A)in almost all of my assignments, but the mentor sometimes read the first two lines of my assignment and tells to resubmit and you already lost 10% of your assignment grade without even knowing why and if you discuss it, they may screw up your entire grade of the class, because there is standarized grading system that all mentors can abide by. It is important to mention to you that My MBA GPA is an (A)and I still maintain an (A) in my first classes assignment. The bottomline is you need to check out different online schools like Walden, Argosy or somewhere else as long as they provide a more standardized grading system and strong support for their learners, because you a mentor to be on your side to help you achieve your academic goals and be on your side during the process.

DissertationI am concerned. I am in the middle of completing my specializations and hear that the dissertation process is very long and no one to speak to about it. I do correspond with many students that are in the process. They seem very, very disappointed. The University has a new president, a new Chair for the Bus. Dept. and I hear the mentors are new and usually are of no help. Maybe we should compile a list of students and go to the Northcentral accreditation region with our grief. Keep all your e-mail and attempted telephone contacts so if and when this happens we have a leg to stand on. I think it is lucridous that people write their mentors asking where they stand on their dissertation and they do not get an answer and when they do it is that the chair of the Dept. who does not respond or tel. calls or e-mail needs to approve it. Let's do something collectively. E-mail me with your concerns. I have a great deal of experience in the accreditation process and will comply a complaint to them that will get their attention.

A great choice for busy peopleI am doing a PhD at NCU, and am enjoying it a great deal. The program is not for everybody, but suits someone in my situation very well. Here is my story:
1. I could study anywhere. I have good bricks-and-mortar undergraduate & MBA degrees, a decent GMAT etc.
2. I have a demanding job that I really enjoy. The cost of taking a leave of absence to study full-time at a great school would not make financial sense.
3. I did extensive research, and find that the NCU curriculum in my field is the best thought-out and most aligned to my needs. I am including bricks-and-mortar schools in this analysis. I have designed curriculum for a top school, and I know good design when I see it.
4. I am not trying to pass off my PhD as anything it isn't. I don't think my PhD will change my life, or my opportunities - my personal makeup will continue to drive my success.
5. I don't want to be in a cohort - been there, done that. I love teams, but I have my hands full of them at work, and don't want to either "carry" or have to wait for other group members at school.
6. The nature of my work is that there are busy times and slow times. Being able to speed up or slow down my progress through courses is a huge benefit.
7. I am genuinely interested in my subject, and am doing this as a hobby as much as anything. I have "gotten ahead" plenty already, and am mostly looking to add a little brain food to the tail end of my career.
8. I don't need my hand held. I am prepared to learn on my own and take a risk on my assignments (nobody will be looking at my 'marks'). I don't need someone to prescribe every little step of the way or tell me "exactly what they expect" from me, beyond the general marching orders.
The bottom line is that I haven't chosen NCU out of lack of better options. I am genuinely impressed with their program and their delivery style. It isn't easy by any means, and is certainly not light-weight.
I would say if your story is anything like mine, and you are favorably impressed with NCU's programs - go for it!
Best of luck on whatever choice you make...

Long, Self-Directed RoadI have just completed my Ph.D. program (Psychology) at NCU. It took me nearly 4 full years. I entered the program with two MA's. I work full time and have two teens.
I took one class at a time, taking nearly 1 full year for the dissertation process....data collection, statistical breakdown, writing of dissertation, completion of the oral defense. Whew!!!
NCU worked for me, I could easily contact my Professors, and received quick turnaround on my written work. I only had one negative experience with a Professor, most were helpful, supportive, encouraging.
The course work was rigorus. I learned a great deal, and feel my degree is well earned. The university is North Central Acredited, I would never have wasted my time if it did not carry this qualification.
If you are looking to expand your education, and do not need the support of face-to-face direction, I would highly recommed this University.

NCU is no joke!NCU is a great experience. I have an EdD (ABD) from a major brick and mortar university, so I can tell that NCU is providing a quality program. Mentors, facilitator, professors...what's in a name? The School of Education is a professional operation with a responsive Dean and great Mentors and Advisors. I am in the final phases of my PhD in Education and I can tell you that rigor exists at NCU. Some folks are looking for undergrad like programs that hold your hand and feed you with a big spoon. The reality is that at the doctoral level in most universities you are on an island and that is why up to 50% do not finish. My "Mentors" have provided timely and effective support without fail. Irregardless of the degree level, on-line education requires independent self-motivated individuals and everyone is not prepared for the challenge. The people who spew venom usually have a hidden agenda or are just unhappy in general. Everyone is not compatible with every teaching style, so if you do not like a program, leave it without trying to trash the program and understand that others will continue to thrive. Constructive criticism is useful and the NCU administration does listen and has made changes I and other students requested using the on-line discussion forums. Destructive criticism is the non-goal oriented unproductive ranting of folks who "believe" they can identify problems but do not have a clue about how to create solutions. As to cost; compared to similarly accredited brick and mortar programs NCU is a real value and most student have stated in the discussion forums that they would be willing to pay more as NCU adds more specific accreditations (e.g., business, psychology, etc.) to the augment the current regional accreditation which is the gold standard in US education. Those who want a cheap education with a lot of hand holding look elsewhere but those that want a valuable education taught in an independent adult-centered format NCU is the place for you.

No WayI have an undergraduate degree in Engineering and two Masters degrees from name institutions. DO NOT attempt to insinuate that the education offered by Northcentral University is a joke ... the rigor of the curriculum is comprehensive and demanding.
Jim Savard

NCU is a valueCertainly there are issues for Learners in the distance learning programs. The value of working when the Learners want means it may be harder to have contact with Mentors, but when one is at the doctoral level contact with Mentors should not be all that necessary until one is in the research/dissertation phase. Anytime I read someone asserting the rigor is not there I have to smile, as it is always on the doer, not the evaluator. If I choose to not apply much I should not expect much, but if I put some muscle into the job, perhaps I will discover the required rigor is greater. Often I figure the naysayers are folks that have difficulty "getting there." If you want to get that doctorate you have been dreaming about, and believe you have what it takes to measure up, give NCU a try. I have every belief you can succeed ... if you want to, and will take the personal steps to ensure it. As is sometimes said ... belly up to the bar.

NCU is a JokeWhat a joke. NCU has no rigor. All of the "mentors" (not even called professors) are rarely available... not that you'd need them anyway. Every class is the same. Read the text and either answer the canned questions in each chapter or write a "paper" which is no more than a repeat of the questions - only rephrased.
Financial collection problems are common. Academic "advisors" are no help in sorting out degree options. Tuition just took a HUGE hike along with "fees".
The "department heads" are not available. I've called mine several times, left emails, left voicemails, and even sent registered letters to him about issues I have. To date... NO feedback.
Avoid the place like the plague. No value.

NCU Suits Me Just FineI am currently pursuing my Phd at NCU. I researched several online institutions prior to enrolling at NCU, and found it to be the best fit for me. There are 2 traditional universities where I live, only one of which has any doctoral program (EdD) in my field of study. Not being interested in an EdD, and with both my wife and I being full-time professionals, the online delivery model was my only alternative. My NCU experience has been terrific. Mentors have been available when I have needed them, their feedback was quite helpful in most cases, materials have been more than suitable for the coursework, and the level of academic rigor is high. Some learners find they need the structure and interaction provided by the bricks-and-mortar university; there is nothing wrong with that. My undergraduate and graduate degrees were obtained through that route. For me, however, the online delivery method has been a blessing.

Northcentral UniversityI read through a few of these and honestly there are good and bad intructors at every school, so do not prematurely judge your first class. NCU has a great format for those who are motivated to complete their degree. The doctorate level coursework is a challenge just keep on registering and you'll see for yourself. Additionally, I have a MBA from Penn State and guess what I did it online and NCU's format is more conducive to the learner and comparable in academic rigor.
Bottom line, stay focused and centered on your goal. Pick the school which is best for you, maybe its NCU maybe it isn't. I needed a school that would help me accomplish my academic goals while still allowing me to work and support my family full time. Guess what I paid 56K for the MBA and I wish I had found other less pricier schools to attend. At this level (the doctorate) you need to have a regionally accredited school, your resume and credibility of schooling will speak to for itself. I tell my students (see I'm a college professor also) to choose a brick and motar school that offers online degrees for their BS and MS degrees for the doctorate choose the school that fits........NCU will fit even the busiest schedule.

Great School. Excellent programI researched a variety of online programs before deciding on NCU. I've been working in the field for almost 20 years and have a very busy schedule. This program challenged me to continue to expand my knowledge on my schedule (evenings/weekends) without the extra travel time spent travelling to a bricks and mortar instutution.
The amount of work required initially shocked me but then again this is a masters program at an accredited university. Please don't waste your time on schools that are not regionally accredited or have been accredited by some bogus accrediting body. Do your homework.
I have almost completed the program and the quality and variety of courses has been excellent. Some mentors have been better than others but I have had much worse, more disinterested professors, at 'normal' universities. I have been able to comprehensively study a particular specialty while completing several related courses and I have great confidence in the breadth and depth of knowledge I have about the subject.
Great value education at a reasonable expense! I'd do it all again and wouldn't change a thing.

learners beware!NCU has both good and bad qualities. First I'll list what I have found to be the bad ones.
1. NCU does not participate in Title IV federal funding. That means that any loans you currently have in deferment will not stay in deferment. The school web site does hint that some lenders *might not* let your loans be in deferment, but that warning is not adequate. If I had known beforehand that I would have to be in repayment status while attending this "regionally accredited" school, I would have chosen a different school.
2. Since they don't participate in Title IV, you have to fund your tuition yourself. That might mean taking out personal education loans or charging it to your credit card, or simply using their payment plan. Fortunately for me, I can use GIBILL.
2. They have a fee for just about everything. If you want to have an additional transcript evaluated after initial enrollment, $50. If you want to change how you pay for your tuition, another $50. If you want to change from the DBA to a PhDBA, another fee.
3. As of the time of this writing, I am in my first course at NCU. This particular course is mandatory, and you cannot get credit for it from an identical course at another school.
4. As this is my first course at NCU, I can only speak to my experience in this course. There are 7 writing assignments. Write six 2-3 page papers, then one 15-20 page project paper. There is a "suggested" schedule of when to turn in each one, but you can go at your own pace and turn them in sooner. I read of one student who completed an entire 3-month course in just 8 days. There is no mandatory course discussion with the rest of the class, like at other online distance education schools. Also there is no lecture or lecture notes. Instead, you are assigned to read the textbook and write your papers using scholarly resources. I guess some people might count this as a good thing, but I consider it a weakness because you don't receive personal experience input from the instructor or fellow learners. Maybe that is why they don't call the instructors "instructors" ...they call them "mentors" instead. That ought to be "red flag" enough.
5. Degree and Institution recognition. There is another "North Central University" in Minnesota for Pentecostals. Some people might take offense at the possibility of confusing the two. According to the list of NCU's faculty members, many of them have degrees from NCU...it makes me wonder if they couldn't get a job anywhere else (because of their degree) and were forced to come back to NCU for work.
And now for the good...
1. A PhD 100% online, no residency or campus visits.
2. Fair tuition pricing...at least for me since I'm Active Duty military.
3. Excellent online research tools.
4. Thus far I've received excellent service from the staff, but my first "mentor" is making me worry because she gave me no useful feedback on my first written assignment.

Great SchoolThe school takes an active role in the student's welfare. I have yet to have one negative experince since enrolling December 2003. The school work is no 'give me" I assure you. After completing over 200 assignments I am now on to the dissertation series. There have been disgruntled students at times but they generally resolved their issues or look for blame other than themselves. Supportive, directing and informed instructors have been my experiences. I believe any student who applies themselves will find this school to offer approprite direction and a quality education.

Great online programI have been working on my masters in Psychology at NCU for several years now. Most of the course work is quite challenging. Not writing tests means a more rigorous workload but better understanding and application of the material. You need to be organized and dedicated but it is worth it. To me this program has meant less travel, working my own hours, no long-winded (filler), often redundant lectures, and no pointless regurgitation of facts. It has also provided me with a student-first education that allows for a more thorough understanding of concepts. The mentors have been great and seem genuinely interested in the subject matter. As others have stated you get what you put into it.

NCU is a remarkable school!I have been with NCU since May 2006 and I really enjoying my online experience. I am not new to online learning, having earned a Masters degree from Capella University as well as taking several courses at Walden University, and I can say that NCU meets or exceeds any arbitrary standard for high qualtiy education. My mentors have all been responsive and have provided great and timely feedback. I have learned more via online education than I ever did attending brick and mortar classes! It takes a great deal of self-motivation, self-discipline, and self-determination to excell in any online education program. The same is true for NCU.
I read some of the more negative comments about NCU on this board. I strongly disagree with them all and tend to believe that they come from misinformed and misguided students had took some narrow, confined personal problem with NCU and unfairly generalized it to the entire institution.
I urge prospective students to research NCU for yourself and not be tainted by these negative reviews of the school.

far more rigorous than brick and mortarI am boggled by the negative reviews of NCU. I am in the dissertation process, and my external reviewer is shocked by how rigorous the dissertation process is; more importantly they can't believe the quality of the learner focused mentor instruction. There are still people that are so threatened by online learning and don't understand what it takes to complete an online degree (a great deal of self-initiation, independence, etc.) that they prefer to slam a legitimate, accredited program without experiencing it first hand.

Motivation is the key to successThis school does take a lot of motivation, but that is what distant learning is all about. On my first assignment I got a rude awaking with a "not so great" grade, but it was a blessing. After being mentored in the correct process, I was able to improve my grade. I would recommed this school but you have to follow thru and don't expect an easy grade.

Most can do betterLet me begin by writing that if one likes to read some chapters in a book, write a long paper summarizing them, and have basically no feedback from the "mentor", then this is the school. This may not be a terrible way to learn. In fact, many do learn a great deal from reading books and summarizing text.
At Northcentral, one pays tuition and is assigned a mentor for each course. A mentor is a trusted guide. The school is wise to not use the term "instructor" or "professor". There is no instructing, professing, and little mentoring. I am not quite certain that the mentors even read the papers. The idea is wonderful. If the school guides the mentors to deliver meaningful feedback then the programs have a chance to be very good.

It is all about youLike any program it is what you put into it. It is all about you. I finished a second Masters program in Psychology at NCU with the first Masters being in the traditional format (face-face). Let me say that I worked very hard and feel still today that since I was in charge of the learning process I learned more and can apply more from my education at NCU. With this degree I was hired as an instructor at a college. The program offers the flexibility to take any course at anytime. As far as support just wonderful- issues on a Saturday morning was resolved quickly. I learned so much I am starting my PhD program there in the next few months.
The mentors for the most part were fabulous- some issues however were resolved after contacting the department chair. As far as the textbooks in the beginning were very expensive but within time learned to go to different websites to purchase books. If you do not want to be challenged on your competence and degree of independent, self-determination, and self -disciplined abilities than this is not the school for you. There is no “spoon feeding” here you have to work.

You can do a lot better than thisAs a relatively new school NCU seems to be experiencing a lot of growing pains. This wouldn't be too much cause for concern if the effect was solely internal to the school, but they seem to be passing it on to the students.
For example, initially I had difficulty with the person evaluating my previous work for transfer credit. It was apparent the individual hadn't even read the transcripts I submitted, and as a result I initially was being denied appropriate credits. I'm still not certain whether this was merely the result of that individual's abject incompetence or part of a plan to soak students for more tuition for unnecessary coursework.
Once that was settled I started the program and did have a couple of wonderful professors. But I also had one professor who was not only incompetent but an unabashed liar as well. Again, the professor's conduct was so outrageous it raised the issue whether anyone could be that incompetent by accident, or whether there was some purpose or design to the conduct.
(I've since learned NCU has a legacy of corruption, shady dealings, diploma milling and "overseas agents" involved in selling cut rate degrees for little or no work, as discussed in more detail here: http://www.armedforces.net/Groups/General_Military_C1/Military_Distance_Education_F4/First_Hechts_Balin_Scam,_Now_NCU/SCUPS_Scam_P276797 )
Eventually I got tired of dealing with their problems and left the program. I found another program at a different school with a much higher level of prestige in my field.
I would not recommend NCU to anyone unless you couldn't possibly get admitted at a decent school. Even at its best NCU is bottom of the barrel. If you are willing to settle for that then this is for you, but if you aspire to anything above that look elsewhere.